Issuing the Interim Report of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Right to Health and Liberty of the Patients at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has made a number of key recommendations to various institutions, including the NIMH and the Ministry of Health.

Accordingly, the report, released on 11 December coinciding with International Human Rights Day 2023, includes key recommendations to the NIMH, the Ministry of Health, the Sri Lanka Police and the Department of Prisons.

In its recommendations to the Ministry of Health, the HRCSL urged that measures be taken to enact a new Mental Health Act which is in line with the international medical standards and human rights obligations of the State. Highlighting the urgency for such an Act, the HRCSL further recommended that the draft of the new Mental Health Act be finalized by the first quarter of 2024,

The Ministry was also advised to reformulate the administrative structure of the NIMH in a manner that would facilitate the appointment of Psychiatrists as Administrators, while it was also recommended that adequate funds be allocated to upgrade the necessary infrastructure at the NIMH.

The HRCSL further issued a list of key recommendations for the NIMH itself, which called for routine trainings for all staff, evaluations of the said training programmes and the establishment of an internal mechanism to monitor the meals provided to the patients.

Moreover, the Sri Lanka Police and the Department of Prisons were advised to establish a police post within the premises of NIMH, and to ensure the continuous presence of prison guards, including female prison guards at the Forensic Psychiatric Ward.

The HRCSL appointed a fact-finding mission prioritizing the right to health and personal liberty of patient, following an incident reported in July 2023, where the death of patient at the NIMH was suspected to have been caused by support staff attempts to restrain him.

“The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) received several complaints regarding how patients were being handled by the staff, the use of restraints on patients, and manners of obtaining patients’ consent at the NIMH”, the HRCSL said in a press release.

Thus, the Interim Report of the relevant mission was released today inclusive of the said key recommendations, while the detailed recommendations will be made to the relevant authorities along with the publication of the detailed report on the Fact Finding Mission on the Right to Health and Liberty of patients at NIMH.

Attached below is the full Interim Report:

HRCSL Interim Report – Fact Finding Mission on Right to Health and Liberty of Patients at NIMH by Adaderana Online on Scribd