ArmInfo. The rights of mentally ill citizens of Armenia will be regulated at the legislative level.
At the January 30 meeting, the Government of the Republic of Armenia approved amendments to the Law "On Psychiatric Aid" and the package of related laws. The package in the prescribed manner will be sent to the country's parliament.
Presenting the draft decision, RA Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan emphasized that the package had been developed over the past 1.5 years. It aims to resolve issues related to the protection of the rights of persons with mental disorders, regardless of their location. The documents also present the duties and esponsibilities of medical institutions, streamline cases and procedures for restricting the rights of mentally ill patients in medical institutions. These restrictions may be adopted solely on the basis of a decision of the psychiatric commission and the court.
For the first time, the package presents the procedure and methods of compulsory treatment and isolation of people suffering from mental disorders, indicating the specific terms of this isolation. The state guarantees the provision of both free and paid services as part of government procurement programs. The state provides state control over specialized medical institutions with the possibility of conducting their public monitoring. The package also included for the first time the possibility of providing psychiatric care by a family doctor. Provisions are made regarding the confidentiality of medical examination results. The Minister announced the ongoing measures to improve psychiatric clinics, which, according to him, will meet international standards in the near future.
In turn, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zaruhi Batoyan stated that international structures insist on refusing forced treatment and isolation. She emphasized that the republic is not yet ready for this step.
However, the Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan does not agree with this point of view, who indicated 2 cases of murder of parents by persons suffering from mental disorders. "It is interesting that, after treatment, they committed a crime a few days after leaving the clinic," said the prosecutor general.