Soviet psychiatrists ‘will back new code’

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 6

Soviet psychiatrists ‘will back new code’

INZPA - Reuter Honolulu; | The Soviet delegation to I [the world psychiatric conferience is ready to support the “declaration of Hawaii” on a professional code of ethics, a senior Soviet delegate has told reporters. Dr E. A. Babayan, head of the department of the Soviet Ministry of Health, said during nearly two hours of talks with the press on Wednesday that the Soviet delegation was ready to support the declaration because it was a useful docu-! rnent. The vote on the code has; been delayed for more than 48 hours at the sixth con-1 gress of the World Psychiatric Association mainly I because of Soviet objections; to a Western-backed draft, [, A draft for an inter- u national code of ethics fori'

; the profession was approved Hast April by the W.P.A.’s; board of trustees, and its; sponsors intended it to be adopted when the congress . of 4000 delegates from 60 countries opened on Mon-! day. , Dr Babayan and other ' Soviet delegation members, during their discussions with reporters, rejected allega-i tions of abuse, for political; purposes, of the psychiatric; profession in the Soviet* [Union. i He also claimed that a list! !of alleged political dissenters! (being held against their will, jin the Soviet Union included; one criminal convicted of! I capital crimes such as rape [and fighting with knives. Dr Dmitri Venediktov, [spokesman for the Ministry [of Health, also rejected all - igations of abuse and said: I “We are always ready to

11 meet and discuss with our sjcolleagues, in a serious disialogue.” 5 Dr Ruben Nadzharov, ans other Soviet spokesman, said ) that reports that some men- - tai patients in his country were controlled by injections r of hard drugs were false, , Earlier, leaders of a group i(of exiled Soviet psychiatrists -Iwarned that if the Soviet dell legation were not ousted; : I from the W.P.A., the Ameri-j ;[can, British, and French, ; might pull out of the presti-1 :lgious organisation. '[ The general assembly of I '[the congress will end this! 11 week-end and is also to vote! Hon resolutions offered by the; .American, British, and Aus-j tralian ’ delegations condemning the Soviet Union, Argentina, and other unnamed countries for oppressing fellow members of the psychiatric profession.