How to complain about the medical treatment and conditions at the institution during your stay?
When placed in a mental health care institution involuntarily, you may have complaints about various things. For example, the quality of the medical treatment, the quality of food or the general physical conditions at the institution.
You can submit the following complaints:
It is important to firstly seek a solution within your section of the mental health care institution. Depending on the gravity of the issue, you might turn to the nurse, your doctor or the head of the section. If your problem is not solved, you should complain to the administration of the hospital.
If the institution where you are staying is not able or willing to solve the problem, you can turn to the Health Inspectorate of the Ministry of Health. The way to write an application is explained on the website of the Health Inspectorate.
The Health Inspectorate will consider your application for free, make a decision on the next appropriate step and ask you for further documentation, if necessary. The Inspectorate must respond to you within one month. If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Inspectorate, you should appeal according to the order indicated in the decision.
You can also complain about possible violations to the Medical Treatment Risk Fund. You can request compensation (also moral compensation) for the damages done to your health or life and the expenses for the medical treatment incurred because of the violations.
The Fund has to consider your application and make a decision within six months, but in some cases the deadline may be extended up to one year. If the Fund establishes that your rights were violated, it will pay you compensation for the violation. If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Fund, you can appeal it according to the order indicated in the decision.
You can also write an application to the national Ombudsman (Tiesībsargs). Find more information about the functions of the Ombudsman and the order of complaints.
The personal and medical information that you have given to the institution has to be handled and protected according to the Personal Data Processing Law and the Law on the Rights of Patients. If you consider that your right to data protection have been violated, you may turn to the Data State Inspectorate. Read more about Personal data or Medical data.