28 mental health institutions in Bulgaria will be closed by 2027 after inspections identified violations in them

28 specialized institutions for people with mental disorders and mental retardation will be closed by 2027, after inspections ordered by the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), with the participation of territorial prosecutors, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP) and the Agency for the Quality of Social Services, found irregularities.

Following a report about violence and bad practises in three social institutions in the country, prepared by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) to the MLSP in August 2020, in September SAPO contacted the Agency for the Quality of Social Services for inspections. The signal by CPT states that irregularities have been established in the Home for Adults with Mental Disorders in the village of Govejda, in the Home for Adults with Mental Retardation in the village of Kudelin and in the Home for Adults with Mental Retardation in the village of Samuil. Some of them are related to data from the signal for: violence by staff against consumers; violence between consumers; separate isolation rooms in which consumers were forcibly closed; poor hygiene and odour of urine; use of medicines that were not prescribed by a doctor.

The inspections were carried out in the period between October 26 – November 20, 2020.

From the information received by the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor’s Office, it becomes clear that as a result of the findings, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy will prepare action plans for closing down the homes in the villages of Kudelin and Govezhda.

The Ministry of Labour and social Policy will also draft a second actions plan for the period 2022 – 2027 for implementation of the national strategy for long-term care, all specialised institutions for people with mental disorders and mental retardation, financed with funds from the state budget, will be included for closure (a total of 28 institutions). The summarized final reports are expected to be received by the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor’s Office by the end of December 2020.