Allegations of Abuse in Institutions
	Psychiatric Hospitals Index Jan-June 2004 Index
	The Press June 19 2004 Nelson abuse claims Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. The hospital closed in 2000-2001, with its residents resettled into the Nelson community. The former patients who have laid complaints claim they were victims of sexual and physical abuse by staff members and were given electric shock therapy as punishment. A nurse aide had alleged experimentation in electric shock therapy was carried out on patients, sometimes several times a day, during her time working there. Nearly 70 of the nationwide claims have been filed in the High Court, each seeking compensation of up to $500,000 and exemplary damages approaching $50,000.