3,000 mental hospital patients can sue the State in the European Court in Strasbourg for violations of the European Conventionion on Human Rights and win, Krassimir Kunev, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Chairman said, commenting on a report of the Committee following a study on hospital psychiatric aid in Bulgaria and human rights.

These 3,000 people have no preliminary medical diagnoses, and the standard of the European Conventionion provides for mental hospitals to receive mentally ill persons and not persons whose mental disease will be established in two, three or seven months.

There are no possibilities for appealing detention in mental hospitals in court, which is another violation, Kunchev added, specifying that there are no such provisions in Bulgarian legislation.

The Committee made its report after visiting 11 state-owned mental hospitals and eight outpatient mental wards. Representatives of the Committee attended hearings of 34 cases of forceful hospitalization and treatment.

Kunchev also mentioned the lack of explicitly formulated powers in detaining people, failure to meet deadlines for medical examinations and lack of informed consent by patients for their treatment.

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee have also some regarding the material base and hygiene, the food and multidisciplinary treatment of mental hospital patients.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!