Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Parliament to address mental health

Photo: Facebook/Mental Health

With 137 votes in favour, the National Assembly has set up a temporary committee to protect the rights of the mentally ill. 

The committee will examine violations found in the country by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment at the end of March this year, as well as those reported by the Bulgarian Ombudsman. 

Legislative amendments are being prepared. The sponsors of We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria aim to abolish compulsory detention and deinstitutionalise mental health institutions. "Obviously, the authors have no idea what compulsory detention under the Mental Health Act is - on what occasions, when, how and in what way it is imposed," said Branimir Balachev of GERB.

The European Committee report said that patients complained that orderlies shouted at them and hit them, that rooms were often overcrowded and conditions in wards were distinctly prison-like, and that staffing was grossly inadequate.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Citizens boycott banks and food chains

A third supermarket boycott has been announced for today. This time the organisers are calling not only for a halt to shopping in large stores, but also to banking transactions - withdrawals, deposits, transfers and payments. Boycotting chain stores..

published on 2/27/25 10:10 AM

Made in Bulgaria – Union of Small and Medium Enterprises presents its annual awards

The association "Made in Bulgaria – Union of Small and Medium Enterprises" will hold its 31st Golden Martenitsa Award Ceremony this evening at 6:00 pm. President Rumen Radev is also expected to attend the event. The "Golden Martenitsa" award was..

published on 2/27/25 6:10 AM

Cloudy and foggy weather expected on Thursday, temperatures in wide limits

On Thursday, minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be in wide limits, from minus 6° - minus 8°C in places with fog, to about 5°C in the extreme southwestern regions of the country. In Sofia, it will be about minus 1°C.  During the day,..

published on 2/26/25 7:15 PM