Committee: Extensions to the penitentiary system are not enough
Experts are of the opinion that the overcrowded psychiatric hospital for mentally ill and addicted offenders in Saxony-Anhalt will not be helped by expansion projects alone. "The solution - even if it is urgently necessary to relieve the currently unacceptable occupancy situation - cannot lie in permanent structural expansion," states the latest report by the Psychiatry Committee, which was presented to the President of the State Parliament Gunnar Schellenberger on Thursday.
The main problem is that patients remain in the psychiatric institution for a very long time and it has not yet been possible to reduce the length of stay. Saxony-Anhalt is one of the top states in Germany in terms of length of stay. It is necessary to restructure the prison system with the aim of significantly reducing the average length of stay.
The committee finds it incomprehensible that the length of stay has not already been shortened, for example in view of better psychoses that can be treated with medication. In general psychiatry, the average duration of treatment is only 20 to 25 days compared to an average of more than 10 years in a psychiatric hospital.
There are currently 443 places in the state's psychiatric institutions, but they were occupied by more than 500 patients at the beginning of the year. Extensions have begun in Uchtspringe, including the Lochow branch, and in Bernburg. The state is making around 100 million euros available, according to reports. According to the planned figures, a total of 633 places should ultimately be available. In a rough projection, the Ministry of Social Affairs assumes that 670 places could be needed by 2026.
The Parliament should consider addressing the issue of prolonged stays in psychiatric hospitals, as it's a critical aspect of social affairs in Saxony-Anhalt. Curbing the prevalence of diseases requiring long-term treatment in health care facilities is essential for improving overall public health.
Source: www.dpa.com
