Iasi Declaration

National Policy Forum (NPF) Declaration
Rethinking TOGETHER mental health policy

Iasi, Romania, 18 March 2005

We, those more than 70 persons who have participated at the third meeting of the National Policy Forum, "Rethinking TOGETHER mental health policy", held in Iasi on 18 March 2005, bringing users of psychiatric services, carers, representatives of eight mental health NGOs from all regions of the country, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, representatives of the local authorities, state institutions (Police, Magistracy etc.), politicians and mass media have adopted the following Declaration.

Because:

• Of the large incidence of mental illness and the increasing tendency both at the world level and in Romania;
• the information with regard to mental health issues is insufficient;
• the users of psychiatric services are stigmatized for their health problems and experience discrimination related to access to medical assistance, education, employment and housing;
• the psychiatric care is under-financed in Romania;
• the community care is less developed in Romania, with insufficient and fragmented finance.

We request the Romanian Government, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity, the National House of Health Insurance and the local public administration bodies:

• To acknowledge the importance of the mental health problems of the Romania population with all their social implications and consider them as priorty problems within mental health reform in Romania;
• mental health policy to have at its centre of attention the people who use mental health services and their interests and to be made through consultations between all decision makers at local and central level, stakeholders, representatives of the civil society such as users' organisations, human rights' organisations, professional associations, clergy and the mass media.

We propose the following next steps in mental health reform:

• The evaluation of the mental health of the Romania population and of the capacity of the mental health system to meet these needs. The results of this evaluation to be openly published.
• The development of a coherent set of laws, adapted to the national need and European standards that meet the needs of people with mental health problems. To include hospital psychiatric, ambulatory, social and community care, education and professional integration of the people with mental health problems, protected houses etc in this development.
• The support for the development of community services that replace care for people who use mental health services in big institutions.
• The establishment of representation standards for the people who use mental health services and their carers involving them in the committees and groups responsible in planning, providing and monitoring of the mental health activity.
• Campaigning to raise awareness and education to increase the knowledge of the population with regard to mental health problems, to improve the attitude toward people with mental health problems and to challenge their stigma, discrimination and marginalization.
• The creation of a specialized education system in psychiatry, of the training programmes for mental health workforce and the inclusion of the mental health and community psychiatry into the curricula of all health specialists/experts.
• The development of a mental health issues monitoring system at national level.

The Declaration is in accordance with the conclusions of the first two meetings of the NPF, the principles and objectives included in the Memorandum on October 2004, the Commitments signed by the Romanian Government at the Ministerial conference on Mental Health from Helsinki on 15 January 2005 as well with the Strategies of Ministry of Health in mental health field.

The work group who has elaborated the Iasi Declaration includes the following persons:

1. Radu Prisacaru, Prefect Iasi
2. George Spaiuc, Prime Prosecutor of the Iasi Public Prosecutor's Office
3. Carmen Grigorovici, psychiatrist, University Clinic "Socola" Iasi
4. Daniela Apostol, doctor, House of Health Insurance, Iasi
5. Iulian Carabulea, Deputy Prime Prosecutor of the Iasi Public Prosecutor's Office
6. Raluca Spaiuc, Parliamentary Counsellor, Parliamentary Office of the M.P. Cristian Adomnitei, Iasi
7. Gabriel Crumpei, psychiatrist, President Catharsis Foundation Iasi
8. Alexandru Paziuc, psychiatrist, President Association of Social Psychiatry from Romania
9. Gabriela Viziteu, user, Estuar Foundation Botosani
10. Ioan Ciotina, user, Estuar Foundation Botosani
11. Luminita Florina Copoiu, user, Trepte Centre Bucharest
12. Magdalena Chirica, user, co-operator Estuar Foundation Bucharest, founder member of the Aripi Association Bucharest
13. Gabriela Monica Simionescu, user, Aripi Association Bucharest
14. Gabriel Biciuman, user, Estuar Foundation Cluj
15. Iosif Nagy, user, Estuar Foundation Cluj, co-ordonator Cluj Branch of the Aripi Association Bucharest
16. Mihai Benta, user, Trepte Centre Bucharest
17. Marcel Nedelcu, Catharsis Foundation Iasi
18. Liana Barbu, psychologist, Children of the Edge Romania
19. Florin Geamanu, economist, Romanian Society "Hope" Timisoara
20. Jack Friedman, Chicago University, Commmittee on Human Development, SUA
21. Magda Luchian, psychologist, Clinica Universitara Socola, Iasi
22. Ion Dafinoiu, psychologist, Catharsis Foundation, member of the Psychologists College Iasi
23. Ioana Serb, occupational therapist, Association for Social Services "Scut" Brasov
24. Maria Vincze, user, Association for Social Services "Scut" Brasov
25. Cristian Sandu, Police Inspectorate Iasi
26. Vasile Vargan, Police inspector, Campulung Moldovenesc Police, member of the Association of Social Psychiatry from Romania
27. Anisoara Gretcan, ex-user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc
28. Adina Balus, Estuar Foundation Botosani
29. Jacota Modest, user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc
30. Cicerone Postelnicu, psychiatrist, Polyclinic Iasi
31. Brandusa Petrila, user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc
32. Daniel Rusu, jurist, Bucovina's Ladies Suceava
33. Mihaela Tanasan, carer, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Molodvenesc
34. Ovidiu Cocieru, student, Image Centre MMedia Suceava
35. Adriana Lupescu, user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc
36. Roxana Cisman, psychologist, Catharsis Foundation Iasi
37. Mariana Mindrila, nurse, Psychiatric Hospital Campulung Moldovenesc
38. Gabriela Tanasan, user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc
39. Ioan Campeanu, Police Inspectorate Iasi
40. Beatrice Podasca, ex-user, Orizonturi Foundation Campulung Moldovenesc

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