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ADVOCACY FOR MENTAL USERS - A
NEW INSTITUTION IN LITHUANIA
Activities in 2004
In the year
2004 we have started questioning in-patients of psychiatric hospital
on violations of their rights. We have questioned almost 500 persons.
In Vilnius Republican Psychiatric hospital we questioned 200 (38%)
in-patients (during the period of July and August); we have generalized
the results of the questioning and presented them in medical professionals
conference (October 22nd E.Mazonas presented a report on patients'
rights in the 9th National Conference of Health Promoting Hospitals,
held in Vilnius Republican Psychiatric hospital; December 21st
members of the Patients Advocacy workgroup presented the results
of the survey performed in Vilnius Republican Psychiatric hospital
to the members of the Treatment Board of the hospital).
June 25-27th
we spent three days in Klaipeda Psychiatric Hospital, where we
shared our experience on advocacy of mental patients and questioned
in-patients of the hospital on possible violations on patients'
rights.
November 22-23
we visited Sveksna Psychiatric Hospital where we have share our
experience on patients advocacy and questioned 121 patients of
the hospital (75,6%). We have summarized the results.
D.Survilaite
presented reports on the patients rights advocacy project run
by the patients:
- For professionals and mental users
in he 7th annual GAMIAN-Europe Educational Conference in Tallinn,
Estonia on September 30th - October 3rd;
- For social workers and mental
users in the 12th Vilnius Health Seminar on psychosocial rehabilitation
on December 14th.
In October together
with our partners: Lithuanian Psychiatrists Association (LPA)
and Mental Health Initiative (MHI), we took part in a Press Forum,
radio and TV broadcasts, dedicated to the World Day of Mental
Health. It was also made a movie about mental patients and the
violation of their rights.
December 6th
we took part in the discussion "Are we ready to accept a
person with mental disorder?", organized by the Siauliai
University Student Representation. Discussion was a part of cycle
of events "Friends Forever 2004", dedicated to the International
Day of Disabled Persons. We have questioned 30 students, and the
specially prepares questionnaires were later analyzed.
We have provided
mental users with 15 legal advices.
We have monitored
information on mental users in mass media and we have reacted
adequately to it; we have examined it during our Club's meetings.
We have prepared a petition concerning tendentious and humiliating
mental patient's dignity article, published in the Lithuanian
daily, to the ethics supervisor of Lithuanian journalist's and
publishers, and to the Ethics Commission of Journalists and Publishers
as well as to the editor-in-chief of the daily.
We have announced
a contest of essays "Mental Patient - Equal Rights, Equal
Opportunities"
We have participated
in conferences in Lithuania and abroad, where we have presented
our activities and learned foreign experience in patients' rights
advocacy. The most important events were as follows: April 5-7th
- seminar on Sharing knowledge on mental health in Budapest; May
13-15th training on Rights of people with mental problems - human
rights held by MDAP and Moldova's Centre of Independent Journalists
in Kisinev; July 17-21st the conference of European and world
mental users in Velje, Denamrk; October 22nd the 9th National
Conference of Health Promoting Hospitals, held in Vilnius Republican
Psychiatric hospital (RVPH); September 30th - October 3rd the
7th annual GAMIAN-Europe Educational Conference in Tallinn, Estonia;
September 1-2nd, November 3-5th, November 25- 28th events, organized
by the European patients' forum in Brussels; December 14th the
12th Vilnius health seminar on psychosocial rehabilitation.
During the implementation
of the project we have published articles in our magazine The
Club. 13 & Co. News on patients' rights, their violation and
advocacy in Lithuania and abroad. The articles were published
in editions No. 1-4, 2004, of our magazine The Club. 13 &
Co. News. The magazine contains a special section called Patients'
advocacy. The articles were such as follows: on our projects,
on limitations to work, on the object of litigation pf mental
disability advocacy centre MDAC; on caged beds; on discriminating
attitude to mental patients of mass media; on participation of
our Club's members in the TV shows, conferences and seminars,
concerning patients' advocacy in Lithuania and abroad.
10 persons have been employed as advocacy work
group. 5 of them were volunteers and 5 were paid: project manager,
coordinator and 3 assistants. 3 of them are disabled persons.
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