UAE Implements Strict Penalties for Violation of New Mental Health Law

The UAE Government has recently issued a Federal Law on mental health, introducing a range of penalties for violators, including imprisonment and fines ranging from Dh50,000 to Dh200,000. Aligned with current mental healthcare practices, the law aims to safeguard the rights of psychiatric patients, ensuring optimal physical and mental care.

The legislation regulates interactions between psychiatric patients and involved parties, emphasizing high standards and practices. Its objectives include preserving patient rights and dignity, minimizing the negative impact of mental conditions on individuals and society, and promoting social integration.

Applicable to all aspects of mental health, the law covers psychiatric patients, mental health facilities, and related institutions within the country, even those in free zones. It updates the definitions of mental health and psychiatric patients in line with contemporary concepts.

Prohibiting the provision of mental health services without proper authorization, the law emphasizes patient rights, such as receiving a full explanation of their rights, the right to submit grievances, and the right to care in an environment respecting civil rights.

Patient rights are comprehensive, including job retention without restrictions, protection from exploitation, confidentiality of information, and safeguarding personal belongings. The law outlines post-discharge care plans, access to education and recreational activities, and the option to choose advocates both within and beyond the facility.

Patients are guaranteed access to psychotherapy and psychiatric medications, with detailed explanations of treatment plans, goals, risks, benefits, and potential side effects. Special health guarantees are established for minor psychiatric patients, including education rights, preparation by a social worker or psychologist, and separate accommodation from adults.

Each emirate will establish a monitoring committee to safeguard patients’ rights, overseeing reports from mental health establishments, supervising facilities, and addressing complaints. Emirate-specific patients’ rights committees will handle complaints, taking necessary actions to resolve them.

The law defines types of admission to mental healthcare facilities, regulations for voluntary admission for substance or psychotropic substance treatment, and procedures for patient escape or death within the facility. It outlines cases of psychological restraint, isolation, patient transfer within and outside the country, and circumstances for compulsory outpatient treatment.

In summary, the UAE’s new mental health law prioritizes patient rights, aligns with modern practices, and addresses various aspects of mental healthcare, from admission to post-discharge care. The establishment of monitoring committees aims to ensure compliance and protect the well-being and dignity of psychiatric patients across the country.