Oof

By virtue of my work, I am on a couple random, but interesting listserves to which I am quite sure I never subscribed. One is "Peace for the Basque Country." Another is the "Mental Disability Action Center", based in Budapest. This morning the following email was in my in box

"Press Relase

Historic cage bed ban in Hungary

12 July 2004, Budapest. The Hungarian Mental Health Interest Forum (PÉF) and the Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) welcome a ministerial decree banning the use of cage beds within psychiatric and social care facilities in Hungary.

Cage beds – hospital beds with a metal or netted cage placed on top of them to enclose a person within their confines – currently exist throughout the Hungarian psychiatric system. The Hungarian government has been under pressure for a number of years to end the use of this medieval practice. On 6th July 2004 The Hungarian Minister for Health, Social and Family Affairs, Mr Mihaly Kökény, issued a legally-binding ministerial decree making the use of cage beds unlawful, something which was promised to happen by the end of 2003."

Very disturbing. One is reminded of how much worse it could be.