13.10.2017

Tatyana Moskalkova, the human rights ombudsman of the Russian Federation, has confirmed that under a new law a service will be established to protect the rights of psychiatric patients.  However, the legislation will not come into force in the next 20 years.

Tatyana Moskalkova described the service at a meeting with students at the Russian Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), according to the Russian News Agency Novosti.  She explained that the idea could not be implemented because the government has not decided which department would oversee the service.

Moskalkova believes that the new service should be an independent body operating in the same way as the Office for Consumer Rights. Moskalkova added that the Office of the Ombudsman would not be able to assume this role as it is already responsible for investigating breaches of human rights committed by the authorities.  The Ministry of Health would therefore not consider the Ombudsman to be impartial.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2017/10/13/moskalkova-zashhita-prav-patsientov-pni/