Alarm signal: there are psychiatric patients abandoned in hospitals

The President of the Association of Public Psychiatric Hospitals in Romania (ASPPR), doctor Lucian Paziuc, draws attention to a serious problem: many patients with mental illnesses are abandoned by the system and treated like "garbage". "A psychiatric hospital should not be a trash can where patients abandoned by the state are thrown away", declared Paziuc at the National Congress of Psychiatry in Sibiu.

• Systemic problems and lack of inter-institutional support

The President of the ASPPR emphasizes that psychiatric patients are not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, but also of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, as well as the Ministry of Justice. Psychiatry is the only medical branch that involves measures depriving of liberty, which creates controversy and criticism. "Psychiatric hospitals will undergo a profound transformation in the coming years. We cannot continue with the same model of acute and chronic hospitalization, without viable alternatives," Paziuc said.

• Necessary changes

According to specialists, the integration of patients into the community is very important. People with mental illnesses must be helped to find a job and be supported in the community. Many of them come from toxic families, and the solution is not indefinite hospitalization. Psychiatric hospitals must focus on extended social services, not just medical treatment. "We cannot continue to hide the problem of mental health under the rug," warned the president of ASPPR. The state must implement clear strategies for the prevention and reintegration of patients. "This is no longer possible!" was the firm message sent by Lucian Paziuc. According to him: Romania urgently needs reforms in the field of mental health; Psychiatric patients must be treated with dignity, not abandoned in hospitals; The government must adopt effective policies for prevention, treatment and social reintegration.

It remains to be seen whether the authorities will respond to this alarm signal and act to change the situation of patients with mental illnesses in Romania.