The new mental health law, which abolishes the possibility to automatically extend the hospitalization of non-attributable persons and allows compulsory hospitalization, was published this Friday in the Diário da República and will come into force in a month.
The new law, passed on the 10th by the president of the republic, which pointed to the “lack of condensation of some legal concepts and figures” changes the paradigm in approaching people with mental health needs and defines that, after fulfilling of the sentence for the offense for which they have been convicted, those who cannot be prosecuted will have to be released.
The changes made also allow for mandatory hospitalization in cases where the person in need of urgent medical care refuses to receive it.
Despite the doubts expressed, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that he promulgated the decree “in the hope that this normative framework will contribute to improving the protection of rights and the provision of health care to people with mental health needs, namely with regard to existence of support structures for these patients in all circumstances”.
This law, which replaces legislation that has been in effect for about 20 years, provides for an increase in the number of mental health teams to 40 (currently there are 10).
The final text of the law was approved in a global final vote on May 26 and had only votes for the PS. PSD, Chega, Iniciativa Liberal, PCP and BE voted against and PAN and Livre abstained.
On the approval of the final text in parliament, the Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, considered that this law “emphasizes the humanistic vision, as an indispensable aspect of excellent health care, centering on the concepts of autonomy, dignity, participation.” , opportunities and recovery” of the person in need of mental health care.
In practice, the diploma focuses on the definition, foundations and objectives of policy in this area, enshrines the rights and obligations of people in need of mental health care and regulates the limitations of these rights and the safeguards for the protection of freedom and autonomy.
The law published this Friday is part of the mental health reform that the government aims to complete by the end of 2026, which envisages €88 million investment in this area, available under the Recovery and Resilience Plan ( PRR).
In May, National Coordinator of Mental Health Policy, Miguel Xavier, called for a doubling of the resources earmarked for this area, as the value entered in the PRR was not “bazooka” but “a slingshot” .
Source: DN
