PD calls for different approach at Mount Carmel Hospital
Partit Demokratiku (PD) yesterday called for a ‘whole-government approach’ to implementing muchneeded reforms at Mount Carmel Hospital (MCH), calling for the involvement of the health, social policy, internal affairs, justice, finance, and education ministries.
It said that a recent report drawn up by the auditor-general further proved that successive annual reports tabled in Parliament by the Office of the Commissioner for Mental Health had fallen on deaf ears.
“The dignity and rights of a voiceless and vulnerable group of people are not being cared for as the mental health care services are poorly developed and not oriented to the real needs of patients,” PD said.
In addition to recommendations made in the auditor-general’s report, PD proposes the following: • Forensic Unit: This should be relocated to the Corradino Correctional Facility, with standardised guidelines established for magistrates and judges to follow. Drug Addiction Ward: The mental health commissioner’s 2016 report (chapter 5) clearly defines the way forward. This must be implemented immediately. Geriatric Ward: Patients not only deserve a separate wing that conforms to the established standards of other residential homes, but they should fall under the budgetary control of the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing, not the Ministry for Health. The ever-growing number of psycho-geriatric patients requires specialist care. Adolescent health: This calls for health care delivery segregation and better management of inpatient care. The Juvenile Ward must be closed down. The mental health care delivery system must shift to one that embraces active rehabilitation so that patients are integrated within the community. The 2013 MCH inpatient profile stipulates the way forward so that social cases are distinguished from those suffering psychiatric illness. MCH must migrate to the planned mental health unit at tal-Qroqq, with good management and clinical practice in place. In the meantime, MCH must be made structurally safe. A holistic strategy that also supports capacity building and training is a must. The party thanked the dedicated personnel and health care professionals, urging the government to ensure that in the next budget, the financial estimates are such that they tangibly restore effective health care and safety in MCH.