China to improve supervision of mental health

The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) publicized a regulation that defined prosecutors' responsibilities when supervising compulsory medical care, including the institutionalization of people with mental health issues.

According to the regulation, made public Wednesday, prosecutors should demand reassessment of committed patients if there is any doubt about their assessment.

Prosecution agencies, if they find patients do not meet certain criteria or a court's judgement is in question, should demand a review of the decision, the regulation said.

The review should be completed within 20 work days by a procuratorate of the same level as the court that made the decision.

Moreover, it stipulated that procuratorate must supervise medical care provided to subjects and the discharge process.

Prosecutors are also required to demand correction in cases where subjects are denied visits or correspondence with relatives or legal representatives, or denied regular evaluations, among other irregularities.