Woman left night shelter in Riga: services urge people not to ignore those in distress
A discussion erupted on social media in Riga over a woman allegedly discharged from a hospital on Tvaika Street late in the evening. It turned out she was never admitted, but taken to a night shelter, which she later left on her own.
A call on social media to help find a woman in Riga sparked a heated debate. Commenters believed she had been discharged at nine in the evening from the hospital on Tvaika Street and left without help. When the circumstances were checked, it emerged that the woman had not been admitted to the hospital at all. She was taken to a night shelter, which she later left on her own, according to the programme "Let's Discuss in the Evening".
What medics say
The National Centre for Mental Health is located at Tvaika Street 2. Doctors explain that every day there are cases when people brought in by police or the Emergency Medical Service are not hospitalised because there are no grounds for it.
Beāte Šternberga, head of the inpatient care department at the centre, said a patient is handed over to police when there are no indications for inpatient treatment but the doctor doubts the person can safely reach their place of residence, as was the case at such a late hour. The same applies if a person does not name contacts who could come for them.
What police say
Juris Lukass, head of the Riga Municipal Police, confirmed the woman was indeed taken to a night shelter. At 21:00 a call was received about an intoxicated woman in a helpless state who had nowhere to stay. At 23:30 a report came through a mobile app that a woman was lying at a public transport stop in Ziepniekkalns. At the scene officers established her identity and learned she was wanted by the State Police, which was called and took over.
Free choice
All sides stress that a person cannot be forcibly held in a sobering-up facility or night shelter; it is their own choice. With cold weather approaching, mobile teams have been set up in Riga to respond and take people to a safe place.
Riga mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) acknowledged that unless people have committed a crime or threaten others' lives, they cannot be made to stay in a shelter. However, responsible services or bystanders can be notified, and people in trouble can be helped. The services urge that no one be left in a helpless state, as the cold is fast approaching.
