People residing in a ward at Mount Carmel, which the mental health commissioner deemed \u201cnot fit for purpose\u201d, are free to leave whenever they want, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said.<\/p>\n
Seven patients residing in Male Ward 1B<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n A relative of a patient residing in the ward described the conditions as a \u201cform of mental torture\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re 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,\u201d Abela said.<\/p>\n The minister insisted that \u201cthese people can move out anytime they want\u201d.<\/p>\n The commissioner also said that all but one patient is there voluntarily.<\/p>\n Jo Etienne Abela said that these patients can move out whenever they want. Video: Matthew Mirabelli<\/p>\n When pressed as to why these people have not left yet, Abela said that there are other options for these individuals, but \u201cthey feel safer on the premises\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Apart from this, Abela gave no indication that his ministry plans on improving the ward\u2019s conditions.<\/p>\n The government began the process of closing down Mount Carmel\u00a0last year<\/a>. It plans on closing down the hospital by 2028 and moving all psychiatric care to a new unit at Mater Dei Hospital.<\/p>\n