Ward of the Monastirok psycho-neurological institution. Photo: ombudsman.gov.ua
The employees of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights showed what the Monastirok psycho-neurological institution in Lviv region looks like.
The Monastirsky psycho-neurological institution is located in the Zhovkiv district of the Lviv region. It is not easy to get to it. From Lviv, you have to drive for an hour and a half in your own car, and then you have to make your way through the thickets of the forest, in the middle of which the institution is located.
Representatives of the monitoring group of the National Preventive Mechanism paid an unannounced working visit to this facility. On the spot, they discovered more than one violation of both the general work of the psycho-neurological institution and human rights.
Photo: ombudsman.gov.ua
"We discovered 5 main blocks of deficiencies," says Larisa Boyuk, an employee of the Department. "The general impression of the institution remained one that I would like to improve."
The first block, Larisa Boyuk notes, is a violation of the right to an adequate standard of living, which includes food, clothing, and living conditions. The inmates of the boarding school wore rubber slippers on the street and in their rooms, although the air temperature that day was less than 15 degrees. They were dressed in T-shirts and shirts with holes.
"We did not see a single bedridden patient on the walk, and some people complain that they have not left this building for years. In some buildings, there are no paths on the floor, people walk barefoot, their nails are not trimmed, sanitary treatment is of poor quality," recalls Larisa Boyuk.
An employee of the Department also recorded a bedridden patient who was wearing a diaper, but the man was lying on a wet bed. In her opinion, this can be explained by the fact that the diaper was put on him only when they saw the inspectors.
In addition, there is no marking on the underwear of the wards, so after washing, everyone gets anyone's underwear.
The beds of some wards were missing sheets, blankets, and some did not even have a mattress.
Photo: ombudsman.gov.ua
"We were told that laundry is done here only on holidays. And this is taking into account the fact that people pay 75% of their pension in order to create proper conditions for them, close to home, but not like that," emphasizes Larysa Boyuk.
The second block is a violation of the rights of people with disabilities.
"No individual rehabilitation plan has been drawn up. Apart from wheelchairs, people don't have any means of rehabilitation," says the employee of the Department.
The next block is occupational therapy. None of the individual rehabilitation programs contain the recommendations of the medical and social expert commission. Instead, according to Larisa Boyuk, there are 50 wards engaged in occupational therapy. However, it is not known who, when and what kind of work he started, the last such records date back to 2014.
"The next problem concerns money. They are kept by the staff, but no one keeps proper records of the funds. Only the date and the amount issued are fixed, but there are no acts of verification of funds. Employees cannot answer how much money they currently have," adds Larisa Boyuk.
According to the employee of during the visit to the public monitors, the wards approached her personally and asked for money:
- Give ten hryvnia! Or at least two!
- Why do you need? What will you buy?
- I want bread.
- Let me buy you two loaves. Will you eat?
- No, I need money.
“This is due to the complete ban on money in the territory. The only calculation that is there is cigarettes,” explains Larisa Boyuk.
The fifth block of violations, according to monitors, concerns safety rules. Uninsulated wires in rooms, laundries can pose a threat to the lives of wards.
At the same time, the inspectors recorded the good material support of the boarding school. There are a lot of brand new shirts, trousers, underwear, bed linen, etc. in warehouses there.
“During the visit, the monitors talked to the employees of the institution, who, as it turned out, do not know the standards of care for the wards and could not name the date of the last safety briefing. A detailed report and recommendations on how to eliminate the identified deficiencies will be sent to the Lviv Regional Council,” the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights noted.