Foreign experts criticize Ukrainian psycho-neurological care facilities

Foreign experts consider that the detention system of the psycho-neurological care facilities of Ukraine is aimed at limiting and does not provide the development of the potential of people with disabilities.

As stated in the conclusions of the investigation titled “Assessment of the situation in the psycho-neurological boarding houses in Ukraine and development of an action plan”, which was presented during panel discussion “The study of the situation in the field of mental health” held in the Ombudsman’s office.

Conclusions of the investigation were presented by Robert van Voren (Netherlands), the Chairman of the “Global Initiative on Psychiatry” Federation.

A group of foreign experts has provided assessment based on the results of the visits, which were performed together with representatives of the Department for Realization of the National Preventive Mechanism in the Secretariat of the Commissioner. They visited boarding houses of Donetsk, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions.

In addition, Lars-Olof Bertil, an expert from Sweden, is convinced that excessive protection of wards should be abolished, since it leads to the situation when patients have no clue how to plan their lives and they develop helplessness.

Robet Keukens (Holland), the Professor of the Mental Health Nursing, noted the lack of training of junior and middle medical staff to work in such difficult conditions. He noted that “many of the employees have a good heart, but even a good heart gets tired if it is not cared about”.

The main theme of the speech of Deauville Yodkayte, an expert from Lithuania, was the provision of the rights of people with disabilities in psycho-neurological boarding houses, as well as the necessity of implementation of recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provided to Ukraine in October 2015.

In turn, Kareryna Chumak, the Head of the Department for Realization of the National Preventive Mechanism, highlighted the systematic issues of providing the rights of persons under the care of psycho-neurological boarding houses, which were detected in 91 monitoring visits.

“One of the most acute problems, in our opinion, is the lack of a decent attitude towards persons under care of boarding houses. The lack of positive therapeutic environment can be felt, there is exploitation of persons under care, violation of their rights to use their own funds from the social benefits and so on”, – said Chumak.

The Secretariat believes that results of the studies, which were discussed, will form the basis for making recommendations to the Government of Ukraine and public, in order to improve the situation with the protection of the rights of persons under care of the psycho-neurological boarding houses.

In turn, Oksana Sulima, the representative of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, told about the steps taken by the Ministry to reform boarding houses.

“The ban to enter such boarding houses” – as she determined first steps in the direction of reforming. For this, the Ministry has developed standards of social services in living support, family support and education of family members, creation of alternative forms of accommodation for people with mental disorders.

During the discussion, international experts also proposed to carry out pilot projects in several psychiatric institutions.