Amendments to psychiatric care that restrict patients’ rights come into force in Russia

On September 1, amendments to the law on psychiatric care came into force in Russia, which clarify the list of rights of patients in psychiatric clinics, and also establish a procedure for limiting these rights. Document posted on the official portal of legal information.

Now this procedure is determined by the cabinet of ministers – the corresponding order The Ministry of Health also came into force on September 1.

Now, medical workers officially have the right to temporarily restrict a number of rights of patients in psychiatric hospitals. Among them are the ability to freely correspond, receive and send money, receive visitors, as well as the right to buy and use essential items, means of communication, and personal items.

According to the new regulations, the decision to limit the patient’s rights must be entered into the medical record, indicating the specific grounds, the form of restriction, the justification for the choice of specific measures and the duration of the restrictions imposed, which must not exceed 15 days, but can be extended.

As medical lawyer Irina Gritsenko explained to Lenta.ru earlier, the new rules pose a threat to patients and corruption risks. According to her, a person who has not committed any offenses, is not in custody, and has not been punished by a court sentence, may in fact be deprived of a significant number of their legal rights.

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova stated in November 2023 that violations of the rights of patients in psychiatric clinics are widespread in Russia. According to her, poor quality food, a lack of conditions for occupational therapy, and a lack of privacy in restrooms were found in medical institutions of this type.