54 to the Republic of Serbia in 2015, while the Hospital in Kovin was visited to verify the compliance with the NPM recommendations from the 2014 Report on the visit.88 The competent bodies acted upon all the recommendations referred to them. Also, with regard to certain recommendations89 of systemic nature, the NPM plans to have it discussed with the Ministry of Health in the future, in order to also find the solution for acting upon these recommendations. During the reporting period, the NPM found no systemic improvement of treatment of persons with limited freedom of movement at psychiatric institutions, but several individual ones were accomplished. In order to improve the treatment of patients, the psychiatric unit of the General Hospital in Subotica and SBPB Kovin, pursuant to the law, follows the procedure of admittance to the psychiatric institution only upon the consent of the patients, while the decision on the detention of patients having mental disorders to the hospital, is made by the consultation committee of psychiatric institution, in compliance with all legal procedures. Also, the patients are being notified about their rights and obligations when admitted to the Hospital, while when physical restraint is required against a patient, they are being placed in separate rooms, without the presence of other patients.90 However, despite certain improvements regarding the treatment of psychiatric patients, the large psychiatric hospitals91 still, for an extensive period, keep a large number of patients in the accommodation conditions that do not comply with the current standards, the dormitories of high capacity have still not been turned into smaller rooms nor are there separate rooms for the visits to patients. The number of medical, nursery and other staff is still insufficient. Activities that need to provide a way to establish the care outside the institution and provide the support to mentally impaired persons in the community (including to their families) have still not been implemented. The provisions of the Law on Protection of Persons with Mental Disorders92 and the Rulebook on Conditions for the Application of Physical Restraints and Isolation of Persons with Mental Disabilities Treated in Psychiatric Institutions93 contain major deficiencies with respect to forming of services for the protection of mental health in the community, procedures of voluntary and forced hospitalization, role of the police with respect to the persons with mental disorders, physical restraint and in particular, those provisions setting forth the isolation measure for the patients.94 It is necessary to provide a gradual, but systemic and immediate closing of big psychiatric hospitals. The precondition for this is 88 Report on the visit to ”Kovin” Hospital no. 281–109/16 and Vršac, Report no. 281 – 102/16 with overall 22 recommendations, was addressed in 2017 89 Recommendations for the improvement of legislation in the part related to the consent of patients to medical treatment pursuant to international regulations and standards, for the persons placed in psychiatric hospitals, serving as recommendations for hiring the sufficient number of medical, nursery and other staff and recommendations about the sources of funding for the psychiatric hospitals. More details provided in the Report on the visit to the Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases “Kovin“ – monitoring of actions taken upon recommendations from the 2014 Report no. 281– 109/16 and the Report on the visit to Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases “Dr Slavoljub Bakalović“ – Vršac, follow-up with the recommendations from the Report on the visit of CPT to the Republic of Serbia in 2015, no. 281 – 102/16. 90 Report on the visit to Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases “Kovin“ - monitoring of actions taken upon recommendations from the 2014 Report. 91 Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases “Kovin“ and Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases “Dr Slavoljub Bakalović“. 92 “Official Gazette of RS”, no. 45/13. 93 “Official Gazette of RS”, no. 94/13. 94 See more at: Milos Jankovic “Freedom and rights of persons with mental disorders“, Crimen, 1/2015, pages 61-80. Available at: http://www.ius.bg.ac.rs/crimenjournal/articles/crimen_001-2015/Crimen%202015-01-4.pdf.