The Psychiatric Hospital Idrija is a creator of public archival records in
the area of the Historical Archives of Ljubljana, Idrija Unit. It is the 2nd largest
psychiatric hospital in Slovenia for hospital and medical care of patients and
alcoholics, and covers the entire Slovene Littoral and a part of Inner Carniola.
The Idrija Unit of the Historical Archives of Ljubljana reached out to the hospital already in 1975. Until the acquisition of archival records in 2011 and 2013,
their cooperation was very good. The Hospital separates the management of
their business from medical documents. Although their conditions of managing
their documents and archival records prior to our arrival were good, the conditions were improved and made better during our cooperation. For managing
their business documents, their own classification system was used until 2014,
when an uniform classification plan for health institutions was adopted. Medical documents kept by the hospital clinic service are deposited in files. While
their work was facilitated with the introduction of the uniform classification
plan, new problems arose.
Simultaneously with the acquisition of the archival records of the Psychiatric Hospital Idrija, we carried out the acquisition of a private collection of
archival records of the chief physician Jože Felc, a neuropsychiatrist, certified
appraiser and author. Upon his retirement, he entrusted his personal collection of records collected during his work at the Psychiatric Hospital Idrija to the
institution. The collection also contained 2,200 expert opinions, written by Dr.
Felc, not in the position of the neuropsychiatrist employed by the Psychiatric
Hospital Idrija, but as a private expert. A conflict of interest arose. In order to
preserve the value and importance of these records, we arranged the acquisition of the private collection with a deed of gift, concluded between the Historical Archives of Ljubljana - Idrija Unit and the widow of the late Jože Felc. The
collected records are kept in a separate fire-resistant cabinet. On the basis of
Article 61(2) of the Protection of Documents and Archives and Archival Institutions Act the donor requested that the records shall become publicly available
50 years after its acquisition. The use of the records is managed in accordance
with Article 65(2) of the Protection of Documents and Archives and Archival
Institutions Act. An exception for the use of these records applies for the donor;
researchers of the medical profession can access the records for the purpose of
medical expertise after consultation and in agreement with the archives.