The Ministry of Health has developed rules limiting visits to psychiatric clinics

The Ministry of Health has prepared a document with new rules for visiting patients in psychiatric clinics. Now visiting a patient will be possible only with his consent, the consent of his legal representative or the attending physician. The document also enters a number of other restrictions on visiting patients in psychiatric clinics.

The document was developed in accordance with accepted at the beginning of August 2023 by the law on changing the rules for the provision of psychiatric care in the Russian Federation. It abolishes the state’s obligation to create independent services for protecting the rights of people with mental disorders and instead assumes that public activists will protect their rights, but with the consent of the head of the institution. The law was criticized by the head of the Palliative Care Center and the founder of the Vera Hospice Fund, Nyuta Federmesser.

According to the document of the Ministry of Health, which is published on the portal of regulatory acts, in addition to the consent of the patient, his legal representative or the attending physician, it is also necessary to comply with the anti-epidemic regime for a visit. A patient may be temporarily prohibited from visiting “in the interests of his health and safety based on a decision made by the head of the department or chief physician.”

Visitors are advised to turn off or put phones on silent mode, adhere to the organization’s operating hours and not communicate with other patients. According to the new rules, more than two visitors per patient are also unacceptable. The order will come into force on September 1, 2024 and will be valid until September 1, 2030.

More details in the material “Human rights activists launched a psychic attack”.

Anastasia Larina