Action for Human Rights (HRA) called on the Ministry of Health to immediately and transparently commit to the adoption of the new Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of Mental Health in Montenegro. They remind that the previous strategy expired more than ten months ago, in December 2023.
They point out that Montenegro once again celebrates October 10 - World Mental Health Day without precise data on the number of people with mental illnesses, which, they say, makes it difficult to plan adequate measures to improve mental health.
HRA indicates that research by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro shows a worrying trend and that the number of minors who had to be treated abroad doubled from 2019 to 2023. They welcomed the opening of the new "Dr. Dušan Kosović" Psychiatry Clinic in Podgorica, because " for the first time adequate conditions for the hospital treatment of minors have been provided".
Timely treatment of young people is key to improving overall mental health protection in Montenegro, HRA says, but it should not stop there.
"The state has not taken any concrete steps in the process of deinstitutionalizing patients from the Special Hospital for Psychiatry in Kotor, despite numerous promises and plans. Although deinstitutionalization is key to improving the quality of life of people with mental illnesses, a large number of patients, including those who no longer need hospital treatment , still remains in the institution due to the lack of adequate conditions for their care in the community," said the NGO.
Additionally, they say, the alarming fact is that Montenegro is at the top of the world ranking for the number of suicides, with a total of 562 cases in the last five years. They say that these statistics require urgent and adequate reactions from the competent institutions.
"Human Rights Action (HRA) appeals to the Ministry of Health to commit without delay and transparently to the adoption of the new Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of Mental Health in Montenegro, considering that the previous one expired more than 10 months ago, in December 2023. Although the Ministry was aware of the expiration of the previous strategy, the Working Body for the Development of the Mental Health Improvement Program 30-2024 was formed only during the summer vacation season according to our knowledge, the first and only meeting was held at the beginning of September, while no document has yet been prepared or made public," HRA said in a statement.
They believe that such an approach by the Ministry of Health indicates "insufficient dedication" to improving the position of people with mental illnesses and "a frivolous attitude towards solving this extremely important issue".
"It is unacceptable that working bodies, which should play a key role in creating policies, are formed late, and that their work remains non-transparent. Also, it is necessary to include all relevant experts, non-governmental organizations and representatives of people with mental illnesses in the development of new strategies , so that they adequately correspond to the real needs of the community," HRA says.
They state that this non-governmental organization, as well as "other relevant actors" with whom they communicated, belatedly noticed the public call for the application of NGO representatives for membership in that working body. For this reason, they appeal to the Ministry to, as before, directly contact experts, "of which there are not many in Montenegro", in order to ensure their inclusion in such important processes.
"According to the Final Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan 2021-2023 for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of Mental Health for 2023, out of a total of 19 planned activities, only 5 were implemented, partially 3, while as many as 11 activities were not implemented. Among the key failures is failure to fulfill obligations creating adequate conditions for the treatment of people with mental illnesses in the community, in order to implement the deinstitutionalization of people who have long since not needed hospital treatment," HRA points out.
They call on all competent institutions to "immediately commit to solving this serious problem".
"Mental health must be a priority, and the constant postponement of the adoption of new policies and programs seriously endangers not only people who face mental illnesses, but also the wider community, which suffers the consequences due to the lack of adequate and timely measures. Ignoring mental health problems can lead to long-term consequences for society, including an increase in suicide rates, an increase in violence and other family problems that have a particularly hard and permanent impact on children," the statement concludes.
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