Tengrinews.kz - A 34-year-old woman from Pavlodar region, who spent 16 years in a psychiatric center, has been declared competent and discharged.
The woman was identified during an inspection by Pavlodar prosecutors at the Michurinsky Psychoneurological Center. She had been raised in a boarding school for children with intellectual disabilities until the age of 18.
"A woman born in 1990 was placed in the Michurinsky Psychoneurological Center by court order in 2008. She remained under the care of this institution for 16 years. During an inspection this year, we involved psychiatrists who interviewed the wards of the center. They found that this woman was capable of understanding her actions and taking responsibility for them," said Ermek Akhmetov, prosecutor of Pavlodar region.
Following the prosecutors' request, the court ordered a forensic psychiatric examination.
"The examination confirmed the woman's competence, and the court recognized her as competent. The court's decision has come into force," Akhmetov added.
According to the prosecutor's office, experts diagnosed her with a mild intellectual disability, while she had been placed in the center with a more severe diagnosis.
This is the first time on record that a patient from the psychoneurological center has been released from state guardianship. It is unclear when the woman no longer required the institution’s support.
"Staff at the center overlooked the positive changes in her condition. The ward herself cannot go to court to claim her competence; this must be done by a guardian, in this case, the state institution. But this was not done. Now, her guardianship has been lifted. Six employees, including the deputy director, doctors, and medical staff, have been disciplined with reprimands and warnings for keeping a competent individual in the psychiatric center," said Akhmetov.
However, the regional employment and social programs coordination office disputes the prosecutors' conclusion, stating that they did not violate the woman's rights.
"There is a misinterpretation here. We will be contesting this because the center does not determine competence; the court does," said Almira Disyupova, head of the coordination office.
Prosecutors reported that the woman has a third-degree disability. She received the news of her release with joy and is now living with distant relatives.
The Michurinsky Psychoneurological Center currently houses 540 people, and the prosecutor's inspection is ongoing.
Earlier, the Ministry of Healthcare reported that around 200,000 people in Kazakhstan suffer from mental disorders.
