Putin signed a law that allows security forces to monitor patients in psychiatric hospitals.
The law on “Psychiatric Care” states that dispensary observation can be established “for a person suffering from a chronic and protracted mental disorder with severe persistent or frequently exacerbating painful manifestations.”
The new law complements this provision and allows security forces to participate in monitoring patients who are “prone to committing socially dangerous acts.”
The police will exchange information with medical institutions. At the request of security forces, hospitals will provide the Ministry of Internal Affairs with personal medical data— not only about patients with mental disorders, but also about people with alcohol and chemical dependencies, if they were considered “dangerous to others.”
The data is planned to be transmitted through an information system for interdepartmental interaction, similar to the mechanism for exchanging information about gun owners.
The updated law states that security forces must assist doctors during involuntary hospitalization and delivery to medical organizations of people who did not appear there by court order. Police officers must “provide a safe environment for medical professionals to access and examine designated individuals,” the document says.
Changes were made to the federal laws “On Psychiatric Care”, “On the Police” and “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens”. The amendments will come into force on March 1, 2025.
According to the law on medical confidentiality, its disclosure is permitted at the request of the bodies of inquiry and investigation, the court and the prosecutor's office. The FSIN can also receive medical information about people who have served their sentences, been released on parole, or if they have been required to undergo addiction treatment and rehabilitation.