Solution to one of the key problems in the field of mental health in Greece, after three decades of legislative vacuum, it gives the bill of the Ministry of Health “Doctor for all” that was recently voted in Parliament.
Within the draft law is a provision, the object of which is the manner of transferring the mentally ill to an appropriate Mental Health Unit, during the process of involuntary hospitalization and following a prosecutor’s order.
To date, the transfer of the mentally ill carried out by the police authorities, without special training.
The image of the mentally ill with handcuffs inside a patrol caras if it were someone arrested, not only does it not comply with modern psychiatric principles, but further aggravates the patient’s mental health, aggravates the stigma and degrades the right to human dignity. «The mentally ill are no different from other patients, they should not be treated as prisoners, he is not a criminal», is indicated in an announcement of the Ministry of Health.
The police will participate in the transfer only exceptionally when its presence is absolutely necessary.
For years, the modernization of transport during involuntary hospitalization was a key request of many associations of patients and institutions in the field of mental health.
With the new provision and with a sign primarily humanitarian, the procedure is assigned to the specialized psychiatric and nursing staff of the Community Mental Health Units and carried out with specially designed vehicles, under the constant coordinating supervision of the Independent Department of Health Operations of E.K.A.B.
These Units, subsidized by the Ministry of Health, are one of the pillars of psychiatric reform, which began in our country 20 years ago. Today, the interconnected Community Units with the Public Health System are called upon to support, through their training and many years of experience in the field of mental health, the transfer of involuntarily hospitalized patients.
In 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Health and the Ministries of Civil Protection and Justice on the issue of the transfer of the allegedly mentally ill, during the process of involuntary hospitalization.
The Deputy Minister of Health, who supported the new regulation in the Plenary Session of the Parliament, stated:
«Today, for the first time in at least 30 years, the Government, with a provision of the disputed bill, solves the big issue of the transfer of the mentally ill during the process of involuntary hospitalization. The main goal is to protect the rights and dignity of the mentally ill, who should be treated like any other patient, and not as “dangerous”. The mentally ill are not prisoners. The Community Mental Health Units will contribute to the substantial upgrade of the transport of the allegedly mentally ill, achieving conditions of safety and dignity. In the transfer, now, only exceptionally will the police authorities participate.».
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