Psychiatric patients tied down

7000 signatures for a more human sanitary law

Confronted with illicit practices as regards forced medical treatments, the department of Public Health undertook last year to revise the sanitary law of the Canton.

Willing to defend the patientsí interests in this legislative process, the GRAAP (Group of welcome and of psychiatric action) gathered a ìCo-ordination for a more human sanitary lawî gathering representatives of associations close from patients, unions and political parties. The Co-ordination wrote a petition addressed to the Grand Council and to the State Council of the Canton of Vaud. This petition received more than 7000 signatures, and has just been given to the authorities of the Canton. The petition asks:

• To refuse any project that may influence the generalisation of illtreatment, making of it a commonplace practise.
  
• To ensure that nursing institutions (hospitals, medical-social centres, geriatric nursing homes etc.) and prisons, adopt the respect of fundamental rights as a concrete objective without precedence. To make this possible they must dispose of a sufficient staff, specifically trained to nurse, in a dignified and human manner, those whom they take into care.
  
• To establish a law which will allow both patients and staff of the concerned establishments to have resort to independant authorities for complaints whenever restraint measures or prescribed medical treatment are contested.
  
• To establish a rule whereby the anticipated disposition of each patient is accepted positively and respected by the nursing institution.
  
• To revise the present law in order to allow a voluntarily admitted patient of a psychiatric hospital to leave of his own accord.
• If the project of law put in consultation this spring by the department of Public Health contains social progress with regards to the entitled accompanying person, the reinforcement of information and anticipated directives, it is insufficient and even dangerous concerning other important questions. Some of the dispositions donít respect the quality of care, individual liberties and human rights:

Forced treatment: the appeal is allowed but it doesnít have suspending effect

It isnít acceptable to start straight away a forced treatment, for example to give a neuroleptic medication, while the goal of the appeal is to prevent this treatment. Without the suspending effect in this kind of situation the project of law deprives to appeal procedure of its efficiency. What is given with one hand is taken back with the other.

It must be forbidden to tie down patients in psychiatry

The GRAAP regrets that the project of the sanitary law of the Canton authorises implicitly the tying down of patients in psychiatry, which will have the effect of making a common place of outdated and inhuman.

The good way to avoid violence is not to constitute an arsenal of repression but to form the medical staff to allow them to solve conflict situation without restraint measures.