Vladimir Putin has signed a law which will allow medical institutions to exchange information with the police about patients with mental disorders who “pose a threat to others”. The law was published on Russia’s official legal portal on Tuesday.
The new law, which will come into force on 1 March 2025, will grant the Interior Ministry access to the medical records of former prisoners. Law enforcement will also have access to the confidential medical records of Russians suffering from certain mental disorders, whom courts have issued compulsory treatment orders to, as well as Russians suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.
Law enforcement will also be able to “monitor” those whose medical records it can access, as well as exchange information about them with other government agencies, the law says. Data is to be shared via an interdepartmental government platform, similar to the mechanism used in Russia to share information about gun owners.
The bill was drafted by the Health Ministry, which said that although the number of Russians with mental disorders who pose a threat to themselves and others was “minimal”, “increased attention” should be paid to those who suffered from mental health and addiction issues. If a patient failed to attend a doctor’s appointment, the police should be able to actively search for them, it added.