GlavnaThe plans for the transformation of the special psychiatric hospitals were discussed on the working meeting held in Belgrade on May 14, 2014 attended by the directors of the special psychiatric hospitals from Vrsac, Novi Knezevac, Kovin and Gornja Toponica.
The meeting was opened by Dr. Jan Pfeiffer, a psychiatrist, an expert on the project. In the introductory part of the meeting, the directors of special psychiatric hospitals presented the current situation in hospitals and problems they faced in their work.
In followed discussion they talked about possibility for deinstitutionalization and community based services (opening of community mental health centers, sheltered housing), new ways of financing services. The participants pointed out that for successful transformation of specialized psychiatric hospitals the role of psychiatric department of general hospitals is very important. This department has to increase their capability to care about all acute clients from their catchment area and to send them to specialized psychiatric hospitals. They also do have a role in developing community mental health centers in their territory.
It has been stressed that community mental health centre should not be on the level of primary health care centers but of great importance is  psychiatrists in primary health centers play a role of gate keepers to secondary mental health care. They pointed out that without this broad cooperation and coordination reducing number of patients in the special psychiatric hospitals will not be possible.
In order to prepare a feasibility study for transformation-deinstitutionalization of the special psychiatric hospitals, directors received the questionnaire “Transition from hospital based care into community based care assessment” which refers to the process of de-institutionalization. The questionnaire is part of a joint initiative of the EU-DG SANCO Joint Action for Mental health and well being.
The aim of the questionnaire is to obtain information from institutions that will be used in the process of de-institutionalization, and has been used in other countries that participate in the Working Group 5 of this initiative.
During June 2014, the project team will visit special psychiatric hospitals in order to support hospitals in development of transformation plans. By the end of September 2014 plan for deinstitutionalization of all institutions should be prepare.