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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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The Attorney-General
says compensation issues must be kept separate from a new forum for
psychiatric patients who claim they were abused. The Confidential Forum
for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals, run by the Health Ministry
and Internal Affairs, will provide a way for former psychiatric patients to
formally register their claims. It will invite former
patients, their families and hospital staff members to tell of their
experiences. Margaret Wilson says it
is a confidential and non-critical approach, but she says it will not deal
with claims for damages because it is simply hearing allegations. Ms Wilson says it is
far more appropriate for the courts to judge truth. However, lawyers for
around 200 former psychiatric patients who claim they were abused in hospital
say the proposed forum will offer no closure for their clients. Lawyer Roger Chapman
says the process will make no provision for acknowledgment of his clients'
needs. He says many have had
their lives changed by their experiences and are seeking compensation. He says the matter
should be left to the courts to decide accountability and indicate an award
of damages. He says all former
patients want is recognition and an apology from the Government for what
happened to them. He says the forum will
achieve none of that. |
