Abuse Uncovered In Guatemalan Mental Hospital, Commission Calls For Patient Protection
Guatemala City — Human rights groups said they found hundreds of women and children being subjected to physical and sexual abuse at a public psychiatric hospital in Guatemala’s capital city.
The Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala led the investigation into the hospital’s treatment of patients.
Executive director Segun Nery Rodenas said Friday that the probe found patients in the Federico Mora Hospital suffering from a lack of medical attention. It also found that patients were being abused by staff and inmates from a neighboring prison who were allowed into the hospital.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Disability Rights International called for the country to swiftly address the conditions in the hospital. It said out of all the psychiatric hospitals that it has investigated across Latin America, the conditions at Federico Mora were among the most troubling.
Some patients were tied to chairs and beds in dreary building, while others lay on the ground in dirty or tattered clothing. Some wandered about with no purpose or attention.
Staff members reported shortages of medicine and inconsistent care by doctors. A Chilean doctor who accompanied the investigators examined several patients and found signs that some had been given improper doses or poorly prepared medications.
“This is not a safe place for people with mental disabilities — or anyone,” Eric Rosenthal, executive director of the Washington-based Disability Rights International, said. “Everyone in this facility could be immediately moved to safe places in the community — starting with the children and women, who are most at-risk.”
The commission has asked the Guatemalan government to separate children from adults, provide appropriate medical care, and prevent patients from being abused by staff, guards, and other patients. It asked the country to report back on its progress in a month, but the commission has no official power to compel the changes.
