UAE: Dh200,000 fine for violating mental health patients rights
The UAE Federal National Council (FNC)on Tuesday approved the draft law stipulating jail terms and penalties of up to Dh200,000 for individuals and families violating the rights of patients with mental illnesses.
The law penalises anyone who forges a medical report, with the intention of placing a person in a mental treatment facility or getting him/her out of the centre.
It also lists other penalties, including a jail term for a period not exceeding one year and a fine of up to Dh100,000, for deliberately neglecting or abusing anyone with a mental illness.
A jail sentence of up to three months and a fine ranging from Dh50,000 to Dh100,000 shall also be meted out to anyone who maliciously sends a person to a mental health facility.
The draft law covers all psychiatric patients, mental health facilities, and any other facility involved in providing mental healthcare, including the free zones.
The draft will be presented to the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for approval before being enforced into a law.
