Human Rights Commission Recommends Preventive Measures to Hospitals Administering Administrative Hospitalization Without Local Government Head's Request

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has recommended measures to prevent recurrence regarding hospitals that admitted psychiatric patients without the request of local government heads.

Yonhap News

On the 19th, the NHRCK announced that it recommended the hospital under complaint, which administratively admitted psychiatric patients without the request of local government heads, to conduct job training for affiliated medical personnel and to thoroughly implement guidance and supervision.

The complainant filed a complaint with the NHRCK on January 22, claiming that the apartment manager where they lived and the hospital director of the psychiatric medical institution under complaint colluded to unjustly administratively admit them. Although the NHRCK dismissed the case due to the complainant's withdrawal, it deemed the recommendation necessary considering the seriousness of the matter.

Under the current Mental Health Welfare Act, the entities authorized to request administrative admission of a person suspected of having a mental illness to a psychiatric medical institution are specified as local government heads such as special self-governing city mayors, special self-governing province governors, city mayors, county governors, and district heads. However, the investigation revealed that the administrative admission proceeded without the request of the local government head.

The NHRCK explained, "To prevent similar human rights violations in the future, we recommended job training and other measures to the relevant local government heads."

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