The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as "MZ SR') was the Resolution of the Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic on Human Rights, National Minorities and Gender Equality No 302 of 26 June 2023 to the Opinion of the Public Protection Officer on the level of protection of the human rights of patients in hospitals, in particular in relation to the use of restrictions on 08 June 2023 in point B.1 (a). c) recommended in the second half of 2023 to conduct a factual assessment of the internal rules adopted (Art. 11b (1) of Law No 576/2004) Z. z. in conjunction with Decree No 143/2023 Coll.) and until 31 January 2024 to publish the report on the outcome of the assessment and the content of this report to be discussed at the Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Human Rights, National Minorities and Gender Equality.
On the basis of the resolution in question, MZ SR carried out in the second half of 2023, in the months of July to November 2023, a factual assessment of the internal regulations adopted by the institution's health care institutions with a professional focus of psychiatric care and with a professional focus of child psychiatry by a questionnaire survey and assessed the content of the internal regulations in accordance with § 11b of Act No. 576/2004 Coll. on health care, health care services and amending certain laws as amended (hereinafter Act No. 576/2004). Z. z.
The analysis of the questionnaire survey data found the level of compliance of the internal order of 39 institutional health care institutions in the psychiatric and professional field of child psychiatry according to the assessment of the content requirements laid down in § 11b of Law No 576/2004. Order No 143/2023 Coll. as follows:
- 90% of the medical facilities of institutional health care in the professional field of psychiatry and the professional focus of child psychiatry has internal order fulfilling the content requirements pursuant to § 11b of Act No. 576/2004 Coll. and Decree No. 143/2023 Coll.;
- 15,4% of the institutional health care facilities in the psychiatric and professional settings of the child psychiatry did not have the established and issued internal order of the health care facility at the date of application of that legislation;
- 33,3% of institutional health care medical institutions in the psychiatric and professional field do not have all the contents in the internal order of the healthcare facility under Decree No 143/2023 Z. z. z.
The shortcomings concern, in particular, the failure to provide information on the specificities of the separation regime, the individual treatment regime, the procedure for the release of the patient, the manner in which compulsory schooling is carried out and the conduct of interest activities, the rules of conduct, the manner in which and the amount of reimbursement for the provision of services and the absence of the contact details of the healthcare facility and the absence of an annex to the patient's catalogue pursuant to Articles 11 and 11a of Law No 576/2004. Z. z. z.
MZ SR based on the findings and conclusions of the factual assessment of the adopted internal health care systems in the field of psychiatry and professional focus of child psychiatry pursuant to § 11b of Act No. 576/2004 Coll. and Decree No. 143/2023 Coll. within its competence will take action to address the deficiencies in question, following the above findings.
The findings and conclusions of the factual assessment of the adopted internal order of institutional health care institutions in the psychiatry and in the professional focus of child psychiatry pursuant to § 11b of Act No. 576/2004 Coll. and Decree No. 143/2023 Coll. have been processed into the