Social Institution for Mentally Ill Men

Pastra village, Rila municipality

The rooms in two of the blocks in Pastra were gloomy, unhygienic and scantily furnished. © BHC

The Pastra institution is located 2 km outside the village of Pastra, up in the Rila mountains. A shallow and steep road, practically impassable in winter, leads to the facility for mentally disabled men.

The institution is housed in three blocks that were were built in 1926 and have not been renovated since. Each block is surrounded with a fenced yard, which the residents are not allowed to leave. The yard of block 2 - a small piece of cemented ground - is the smallest of the three; this is where the most severely ill men and those who attempt to run away live. Two filthy outdoors toilets are located at one end; the men who use them have no privacy since the doors are missing.

The central heating was not working in the sub-zero temperatures in December 2002. © BHC

This "toilet" is used by the men from Block 2 . © BHC

High fences surround every block © BHC

Neither the blocks, nor the nurse's room or dining room have any running water. The outdoor fountains (with cold water only) are the only source of water for the residents all year round. The toilets for the residents are also outdoors. There is only a single bathroom in the whole institution, located in the basement of block 3 and in need of repair - the tiles and showers are broken. Most men here have no personal belongings, not even their own clothes, underwear or socks. After the clothes are washed, the residents of Pastra wear whatever they are given by the personnel.

The residents clean their rooms themselves. The only entertainment they have comes from a small TV in the dayroom/dining room, which during a January 2002 visit was working with the sound turned to 'mute'; the only person who seemed to have access to the remote control was an orderly who was not to be found anywhere.

Residents have no access to snacks or drinks outside meal hours. They are not allowed to leave the institution to visit the village, so their only chance to get supplies of additional food and cigarettes is by asking personnel to purchase them from the village with money from their disability pensions.

There are no correctional and socialisation activities in the institution.

The institution had registered 8 deaths up to 9 December 2002, the last one in the beginning of December 2002. (information as at December 2002)