People residing in a ward at Mount Carmel, which the mental health commissioner deemed “not fit for purpose”, are free to leave whenever they want, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said.
Seven patients residing in Male Ward 1B are confined indoors, with nothing to do but roam around the ward, watch TV, eat and smoke cigarettes, according to the Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Mental Disorders.
A relative of a patient residing in the ward described the conditions as a “form of mental torture”.
Speaking to Times of Malta on Tuesday, Abela said that the individuals inside the ward are there due to social problems and not for psychiatric care.
“We’re talking about a ward that is giving refuge to people who would otherwise have problems on the streets. These are not patients. These are not persons who have been committed to a mental institution,” Abela said.
The minister insisted that “these people can move out anytime they want”.
The commissioner also said that all but one patient is there voluntarily.
Jo Etienne Abela said that these patients can move out whenever they want. Video: Matthew Mirabelli
When pressed as to why these people have not left yet, Abela said that there are other options for these individuals, but “they feel safer on the premises”.
He added that his ministry, together with the Social Policy Ministry, is working to create more spaces outside Mount Carmel to accommodate people with similar social issues.
Apart from this, Abela gave no indication that his ministry plans on improving the ward’s conditions.
The government began the process of closing down Mount Carmel last year. It plans on closing down the hospital by 2028 and moving all psychiatric care to a new unit at Mater Dei Hospital.
A recent study also found that most drug users who are admitted to the psychiatric hospital are seeking help for social problems such as homelessness and unemployment.