Doctors Be Given More Power To Detain A Loony
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Is this going to be the latest addition to the comprehensive coverage of reportable diseases of the National Registry Of Diseases Act?
The outspoken opposition speakers beware!
Govt seeks greater protection for the mentally ill
Feb 21, 2008
Govt seeks greater protection for the mentally ill
Proposed Bill also seeks to give docs greater power to detain patients to prevent harm
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
THE Government wants to give general hospitals treating patients with mental illness the power to admit them against their will if doctors think they are a danger, either to themselves or others.
At the same time, it also plans to give mentally-ill patients greater protection against ill-treatment by hospital staff.
The Health Ministry said in a statement yesterday that it is seeking changes to existing laws to ensure that they remain relevant.
It added that the higher penalties proposed for offences 'reflect current economic realities and the seriousness of the offences'.
A doctor in a general hospital now cannot detain a mentally-ill patient for further treatment if he had sought help voluntarily, even if the doctor fears that not doing this could result in serious harm to the patient or others.
Such patients - those with violent or suicidal tendencies, for example - are discharged into the care of the police, who can then take them to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where they can be admitted against their will.
The proposed change means the doctor at the general hospital can order such patients detained for further treatment.
Said the ministry: 'This ensures that such patients may be treated without delay.'
These patients may also be given medical or surgical treatments without their consent, if needed.
The proposed changes come amid a greater focus on mental health, with MOH developing a blueprint to deal with the serious problem of mentally-ill patients.
Last year, the IMH treated close to 33,000 people for mental illnesses at its outpatient clinics.
The proposed changes will come in the form of a new Bill, the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Bill.
This will replace the old Mental Disorders and Treatment Act. Another new Bill, called the Mental Capacity Bill, deals with people, especially the elderly, who become mentally incapacitated.
While the proposed changes - which are up for public feedback - will give hospitals with wards or departments that are designated 'psychiatric institutions' more power, they also seek to protect patients against trigger-happy or abusive doctors and other hospital staff.
For example, only doctors who have permission in writing from the ministry's director of medical services are allowed to detain patients.
Also, a court order is required if the treatment period exceeds six months.
Penalties for ill-treating mentally-disturbed patients will also go up.
The penalty for cruel treatment and wilful neglect of such patients will increase - with a maximum fine of $5,000, from $500 now, and a jail term of up to four years, instead of two, or both.
A hospital employee who has sex with a mentally-ill patient will also face a maximum penalty of $5,000 and/or jail of up to 10 years - up from $1,000 and/or two years' jail.
If a doctor detains a patient who is not a danger to himself or others, or detains him for more than six months without a magistrate's order, he could be fined $5,000 and sentenced to up to three years in jail, or both - up from $2,000 and two years' jail.
The draft Bill can be viewed at www.moh.gov.sg and the public is invited to give feedback till March 14.
You may send your views to [email protected]
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Russia such laws before but they abused it to detain political opponents.
sometime we need to find out the real reason behind the bill, just the death tax.
Read the news link below and see how Russia use such scheme to squash the political opponents.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=502382&in_page_id=1811
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/russian-dissident-forcibly-detained-in-mental-hospital-459539.html
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Think IMH and recall two people - Robert Ho and Boon Suan Ban
From another forum: Singabloodypore
Robert Ho threatened with IMH detention at President's pleasure
8 April 2005Like Mr Boon Suan Ban, Mr Robert Ho has been arrested and remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) - repeatedly, in the latter's case. Mr Ho had gone to the West Mall Shopping Centre on 27 February 2005 to distribute flyers about the elections system in Singapore.
Later that day, the police came and arrested Mr Ho and brought him to the IMH. They came the following day and carted away his computer. About two weeks later, Mr Ho said that just as he was about to be discharged, the police ordered his continued detention because they wanted to charge him in court. A few days later, he was released without being charged.
The police later called Mr Ho's wife and told her that her husband cannot continue to do what he did and that they could have charged him in court and put him under remand in IMH at the President's pleasure.
In was a coincidence that Mr Ho was remanded at the IMH at about the same time that Mr Boon Suan Ban was incarcerated. Mr Boon is in custody at the President's pleasure.
A few years earlier, Mr Robert Ho was also arrested by the police and investigated for criminal defamation for posting an article about Mr Lee Kuan Yew's daughter-in-law, Mdm Ho Ching. His computer equipment was also confiscated then which have not been returned to him. Mr Ho had said then that the police had told him that if he stopped posting articles on the Internet, he would not be charged. When Mr Ho agreed he was released.
Several disturbing questions arise from the arrests and detention of Messrs Boon and Ho regarding the rule of law in Singapore. What rights are available to the two men and other people who are similarly detained? Is the State abusing its powers? What implications do the arrests have for the rest of us? These issues will be discussed at the public forum organised by the Open Singapore Centre (OSC) at Hotel Asia on 16 April 2005 at 2 pm. The death penalty and the impending execution of a Singaporean, Mr Shanmugam s/o Murugesu, will also be debated. The mother and the twin sons of Mr Shanmugam will be present at the forum to appeal for clemency for death-row inmate.
Amnesty International Spokesman, Mr Tim Parritt, will also speak at the forum as will Mr Anthony Yeo, Singapore's foremost social counselor. The other speakers are: Mr J B Jeyaretnam, lawyer M Ravi, Think Centre Executive Director S Samydorai, and Dr Chee Soon Juan.
As the topic "Death Penalty and the Rule of Law in Singapore" concerns the legal community the OSC has invited most of the law firms in the country. It will also extend an invitation to the Law Society.
The forum promises to be intellectually and emotionally engaging. Make a date with the OSC and come and join in the discussion that concerns us all. Admission is free and all are welcome. -
They switch from ISA to detention due to mental illness.
Hahaha
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Originally posted by maurizio13:
They switch from ISA to detention due to mental illness.
Hahaha
Well, it make detention slightly more "palatable" for the public.
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Please lor! If this law is passed... I think doc think they are god and admit a normal person into the IMH for personal reasons and/or gahmen force doc to admit their oppositions!!!!
Stupid proposal!
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Next time all supporters of opposition will be warded in the looney house.
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Good good! Plenty of looneys here to be locked up...I will make sure I lose the key after that :)
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Originally posted by fishbuff:
Russia such laws before but they abused it to detain political opponents.
sometime we need to find out the real reason behind the bill, just the death tax.
Read the news link below and see how Russia use such scheme to squash the political opponents.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=502382&in_page_id=1811
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/russian-dissident-forcibly-detained-in-mental-hospital-459539.html
Yes you hit the bull's eye there.
I'm a victim of grave abuses from people in power in Singapore with access to telepathic person(s). They have friends here too. All abuses are to convince people I'm mentally ill to cover their grave evil. Telepathy is not a far off fiction. It's a fact.
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what kind of medical or surgical treatments???? full frontal lobotomy???
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I'm a victim of grave abuses from people in power in Singapore with access to telepathic person(s). They have friends here too. All abuses are to convince people I'm mentally ill to cover their grave evil. Telepathy is not a far off fiction. It's a fact.
Well I'll never step my foot on Singapore again. Really I'm not crazy nor I'm with the opposition.
But at the ruler's pleasure I've been deliberately falsely accused of being mentally ill.
I've refused all medication went back to Indonesia, abandon my university study in Singapore to re-enter local university here starting again from scratch and I've graduadted since.
And I've come to know that the ruler of Singapore has many friends here in Jakarta. He can also influence good people to turn bad. Good Christians to sinners. Blood ties is nothing also really.
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"I'm a victim of grave abuses from people in power in Singapore with access to telepathic person(s). They have friends here too. All abuses are to convince people I'm mentally ill to cover their grave evil. Telepathy is not a far off fiction. It's a fact."
Can you tell us more of your story.