The Mental Health Bill Wednesday morning was approved in the Committee stage and now just requires a Third Reading in the House, which is a formality for the bill to become law. The existing law dates back to 1976.

The House of Representative on Tuesday unanimously approved the bill in the second reading stage.

Health Minister Joe Cassar remarked that the Mental Health bills has been in the pipeline for years, but is a huge leap forward from the previous legislation. He said that this bill introduces the post of an independent commissioner for mental health to safeguard the rights of patients who will assume some of the responsibilities of the mental health tribunal.

Another amendment deals with admission for involuntary treatment and the length of stay in mental hospitals. He added that there will be a drastic reduction in the period which patients have to undergo involuntary treatment.

Dr Cassar explained that another innovation will be the introduction of multi-disciplinary treatment.  The bill also provides for treatment in the community, while leaving the option to send the patient to a mental health hospital as the very last resort.

The health minister said that the bill deals also with those cases involving minors and children. As a result the maximum period of involuntary treatment for minors has been drastically reduced, while invasive treatment for children will be banned. Dr Cassar concluded that this bill will contribute to a significant improvement in the life of mental health patients.