Report on the Performance of Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2015
Accommodation conditions at certain wards of psychiatric institutions are still unacceptable.
There is an encouraging fact, however, that after several years of delay, in the end of 2015
construction began on a new Department for Forensic Psychiatry of Vrapče Psychiatric Clinic.
Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged at the Psychogeriatric Ward, where elderly
patients with mobility issues are accommodated in humiliating conditions, which requires
immediate measures to be taken for the purpose of improvement of those conditions.
As of January 2015, a new Act on Protection for Persons with Mental Disorders has been in
effect, and it has remedied many shortcomings. For example, except in cases of involuntary
hospitalization, now each person who is voluntarily hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital has to
give a written consent, where only verbal consent used to suffice, sometimes even without
adequate record to that effect. To the best of our knowledge, psychiatric institutions follow the
procedure of involuntary hospitalizations and the prescribed time limits.
Just like in previous years, there is still a lack of adequate centres for protection of mental health
at a local level, the activities of which would (among other things) reduce the rate of
institutionalization of persons with mental disorders and make their stay in their own families
easier.
Persons with mental disorders who do not have
Accommodation conditions at
supplementary health insurance are charged a
certain wards of psychiatric
participation fee during involuntary accommodation in
institutions are still unacceptable.
psychiatric institutions, unless their diagnosis is indicated
The situation remains unchanged
in the decision of CHIF about the list of diagnoses the
at the Psychogeriatric Ward of
treatment for which is completely covered by
Vrapče Psychiatric Clinic, where
compulsory health insurance. In 2015, at Vrapče
elderly patients with mobility
Psychiatric Clinic alone there were 70 involuntarily
issues are accommodated in
hospitalized persons with such diagnoses, 20 of which
humiliating conditions.
did not have supplementary health insurance. Such
regulation is unacceptable, as in situations of involuntary hospitalization, any person who has
been so hospitalized, regardless of his/her diagnosis, should not be charged participation in the
costs of treatment. Considering that the new Act on Protection for Persons with Mental
Disorders prescribes that the state budget shall only provide the funds for costs of involuntary
placement of mentally incompetent persons in a psychiatric institution, it is necessary for this
Act to be amended so that the funds for involuntary placement in psychiatric institutions be
provided from the state budged for all involuntarily hospitalized persons, regardless of their
diagnoses, and that general regulations regulating participation in the costs of treatment be
harmonized.
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