In this Law, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned thereto, unless the context requires otherwise:

• Mental Health Care: A branch of public health concerned with mental health prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.

• Law: Mental Health Care Law.

• Regulations: Implementing Regulations of this Law.

• Mental Health Treatment Facility: A facility, whether independent or affiliated with another public or private health care facility, that meets the specifications for mental health care and provides mental health services, including diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

• Mental Disorder: A disturbance in an individual’s thought, mood, awareness, memory, or other intellectual faculties, in whole or in part. Such disturbance is deemed severe if it causes impairment of two or more of the following functions:

  • a) sound reasoning and the capacity to make decisions;

  • b) normal behavior as defined by local norms;

  • c) the capacity to distinguish reality and know and be insightful of the nature of one’s illness or causes thereof, and accept treatment; and/or

  • d) the capacity to meet basic life needs.

• Mental disorder under this Law shall not include any person who merely has: intellectual disability, immoral conduct, or abusive consumption of or addiction to alcohol, narcotics, psychotropic substances, or drugs.

• Psychiatric Patient: A person suffering or suspected to be suffering from a mental disorder.

• Psychiatrist: A person holding a specialty degree in psychiatry and licensed to practice as a psychiatrist.

• Psychologist: A person holding a university degree in psychology and licensed to practice as a psychologist.

• Social Worker: A person holding a university degree in social work or sociology and licensed to practice as a social worker.

• Psychiatric Nurse: A person holding a bachelor degree or associate diploma in nursing and licensed to practice as a nurse.

• Counselor: A person holding a university degree in counseling and licensed to practice as a counselor.

• Consultant Psychiatrist: Any psychiatrist licensed to practice as a consultant psychiatrist.

• Specialist Psychiatrist: Any psychiatrist licensed to practice as a specialist psychiatrist.

• Attending Physician: Any physician responsible for the examination and treatment of psychiatric patients in a mental health treatment facility.

• Guardian: A person having guardianship over another person.

• Psychiatric Recovery Facility: A facility for housing psychiatric patients who have exceeded their prescribed duration of treatment at a mental health treatment facility and still need housing services.

This Law aims to:

• 1. regulate and promote mental health care services required for psychiatric patients;

• 2. protect the rights and dignity of psychiatric patients, their families, and the community; and

• 3. develop a mechanism for dealing with and treating psychiatric patients at mental health treatment facilities.

A- The Minister of Health shall issue a decision to form a council named "General Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care"; as follows:

• 1- The Undersecretary of Therapeutic Services at the Ministry of Health                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The General Council for Mental Health Care is responsible for the following:

• 1- Proposing the development and improvement of mental health care and submitting it to the Health Services Council.

• 2- Establishing local monitoring councils for mental health care in regions and governorates as needed.

• 3- Supervising the local monitoring councils for mental health care and following up on their activities.

• 4- Considering the affairs of mental health patients and the reports referred to it by the local monitoring councils for mental health care.

• 5- Reviewing the appeals submitted by patients, their relatives, or their representatives, after completing the appeal before the local monitoring council for mental health care.

• 6- Forming committees from council members or others with expertise or specialization to review decisions regarding mandatory admission if necessary.

• 7- Any other authority approved by the Council of Ministers.

A. The Board shall convene at least once every two months, or upon a call by its Chairman when necessary.

B. Board meetings shall be deemed valid if attended by the Chairman or Vice Chairman and at least two thirds of the members.

C. Decisions shall be passed by the majority vote of attending members. In case of a tie, the chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

D. Neither the Chairman nor any Board member may take part in the discussion or decision involving a patient who is related to him up to the fourth degree.

E. The Board shall issue decisions on grievances filed by patients, their families, or their representatives within a period that preserves the rights of patients. Such period shall be specified in the Regulations.

A- The Minister of Health issues a decision to form the Local Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care as follows:

• 1- Assistant Director of Health Affairs for Therapeutic Services             Chairperson

• 2- Director of the Department of Mental Health and Social Services         Member and Secretary

• 3- Two psychiatrists at the consultant level                       Members

• 4- A psychologist                                         Member

• 5- A social worker                                     Member

• 6- A citizen of the region known for their integrity and wisdom, nominated by the General Monitoring Council for Health Care       Member

• 7- A representative from the Ministry of Justice       Member

• 8- A representative from the Ministry of Interior     Member

• 9- A legal advisor from the Ministry of Health Member

The Council may seek the assistance of individuals with expertise or specialization, who shall not have the right to vote.

B- The term of membership in the Council is three years, and it may be renewed for a similar duration or durations.

C- The Minister of Health - or his delegate - appoints the necessary secretariat for the Council's work, determines the remuneration of its members, and sets its operational procedures.

D- Each entity nominates the member it represents and an alternate member, provided that the ranks of the Council members are not less than (the twelfth) or its equivalent.

The Local Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care is responsible for the following:

• 1- Deleted

• 2- Considering the appeals of patients or their relatives or representatives in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

• 3- Approving the administration of unconventional treatment to a patient under mandatory admission, based on the request of the treating physician, specifying the reasons and expected outcomes, if the patient is unable to provide consent, or if it is impossible to contact their guardian.

• 4- Following up on reports received from the mental health treatment facility regarding cases of mandatory admission and treatment.

• 5- Annuling the decision of mandatory admission issued by the mental health treatment facility if there are reasons for this as determined by the Council, and considering the cases of patients who have been involuntarily admitted to mental health treatment facilities for more than six months.

• 6- Appointing a psychiatric consultant from outside the mental health treatment facility to examine the patient's mental condition - when needed - within two weeks from the date of the appeal; for the Council to decide on it.

• 7- Proposing the appointment of someone to take care of the interests of a legally incompetent patient under mandatory admission who does not have a guardian, until they regain their capacity, and submitting this to the competent court for approval.

• 8- Receiving reports from mental health treatment facilities about cases of mandatory admission and following up on these cases to consider their continued stay in these facilities, and ensuring that they enjoy the guarantees and rights stipulated in this Law.

• 9- Any other task assigned to it by the General Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care in light of the provisions of this Law.

A- The meetings of the Council shall be held once every (fifteen) days, or at the invitation of its President when necessary.

B- The Council's meeting is considered valid with the presence of the President or his Deputy and at least two-thirds of the members.

C- The Council makes its decisions by a majority of the members present, and the side that the President of the meeting votes with prevails in case of a tie.

D- The Council shall submit an annual report on its activities to the General Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care.

E- The President of the Council, or any of its members, shall not participate or deliberate in a decision that affects a patient with whom they have a familial relationship up to the fourth degree.

F- The Council shall respond to the appeals submitted by patients or their relatives or representatives within a period not exceeding (twenty-one) working days from the date of receipt of the appeal, and if the appeal is not decided within that period; it may be escalated to the General Monitoring Council for Mental Health Care.

G- If one of the Council members is a physician working in the mental health treatment facility against which the appeal is raised, a psychiatrist not working in that mental health treatment facility must be appointed to examine the patient, and the physician shall submit a report to the Council within two weeks from the date of their assignment.

H- The Council shall appoint a Vice President from among its members in its first meeting.

Under this Law, a psychiatric patient shall have the following rights which may be asserted by his guardian or attorney-in-fact:

• 1. Receiving due care in a safe and clean environment; receiving treatment in accordance with commonly accepted standards; and affording him, if capable, the opportunity for actual and continuous participation in the treatment plan.

• 2. Respecting his individual rights in a healthy and humane environment that preserves his dignity, meets his medical needs, and enables him to perform his religious obligations. Admission of a patient to a mental health treatment facility shall be in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

• 3. Informing him, prior to commencement of treatment, of the diagnosis and progress of the treatment plan; and informing him, prior to consenting to treatment, of the expected response, benefits, risks, and possible side effects as well as available treatment alternatives and possible amendments thereto. If there is a need to transfer a patient within or outside a mental health treatment facility, said patient or his guardian, if the patient is incapable of consent, shall have the right to be informed of the transfer and reasons therefor.

• 4. Not subjecting him to any experimental treatment, even if such treatment is licensed or included in medical research or an experiment, without his informed written consent if capable of consent, his guardian’s written consent if incapable of consent, or the authorization of the local supervisory board for mental health care if he has no guardian.

• 5. Refraining from administering any type of treatment to him without his consent, or the consent of his guardian if incapable of determining his need for treatment. If the patient is incapable of determining his need for treatment and has no guardian or the guardian cannot be reached, the necessary treatment may be administered subject to the approval of two psychiatrists and notification of the local supervisory board for mental health care.

• 6. Informing him if he is capable, or his guardian, of treatment services available at the mental health treatment facility, how to be eligible for them, when he may be declined the same, and the party covering the costs of said services.

• 7. Protecting him against degrading treatment; financial, physical, or sexual abuse; or other forms of abuse, and refraining from subjecting him to corporal or moral punishment for any reason or threatening him with the same.

• 8. Respecting his freedom and refraining from restricting it by isolation unless necessary as decided by the attending physician and for a limited period, using the least restrictive means under humane conditions as set forth in the Regulations.

• 9. Granting him the freedom to move within and outside the mental health treatment facility if so permitted by treatment and safety requirements.

• 10. Retaining or disposing, if capable, or his guardian, if incapable, of his personal belongings that are in his possession, and granting him access to means of communication in accordance with treatment requirements and in such a manner that does not conflict with safety requirements.

• 11. Enabling him to receive visitors in accordance with the announced visitation policy of the mental health treatment facility. Visits may be prohibited or limited as per treatment requirements, provided that his family members are allowed to communicate with him, and are informed and updated of his condition and treatment plan in all circumstances, in accordance with the Regulations.

• 12. Receiving ruqyah (incantation), in coordination with the attending physician, at the mental health treatment facility in accordance with Sharia, if requested by the patient or his family.

• 13. Protecting the confidentiality of his personal information and refraining from disclosing the same, except upon the request of the General Supervisory Board for Mental Health Care, or a local supervisory board for mental health care; the request of judicial or investigation authorities, stating the reason for obtaining such information; for treatment purposes; or due to the existence of an imminent threat to himself or others.

• 14. Enabling him, or his guardian, to file any complaint against any person or party at the mental health treatment facility if justified, without prejudice to the quality of care provided to him.

• 15. Appointing an attorney-in-fact to defend his rights within and outside the mental health treatment facility.

• 16. Notifying him, or his guardian, of his involuntary admission to a mental health treatment facility upon issuance or renewal of an involuntary admission decision, and notifying him in writing of the reason for admission and the procedures to be followed if he wishes to revoke such decision, pursuant to Article 14(E) of this Law.

• 17.

  • a) Notifying him, or his guardian, in a clear language of his legal status at the mental health treatment facility upon issuance or renewal of the admission decision, and notifying them in writing of all his rights, as well as the reason for admission and the procedures to be followed if he wishes to be discharged.

  • b) The mental health treatment facility shall explain the aforementioned rights to the psychiatric patient or his guardian, whether said patient is an inpatient or outpatient, and the mental health treatment facility shall provide him with a copy of the same. The mental health treatment facility shall display copies of said rights in clearly visible areas within the facility to be read by patients and visitors.

Admission to a mental health treatment facility may be voluntary upon a written consent of a psychiatric patient, if capable of giving consent, or his guardian. A patient may leave if he so wishes, unless involuntary admission conditions apply to him.