Health Minister Chris Fearne highlighted the importance of Mount Carmel Hospital for long-term care patients, while also stressing the importance of community care.

During a Parliamentary debate, Fearne said that government, over the past years, worked with NGOs who run hostels in the community.  He stressed however, that it is hard to find patients from Mt Carmel who are capable of living in the community, and stressed that Mt Carmel is still needed for long-term care patients.

He said that a new complex which will be built around Mater Dei Hospital will deal with short-term care patients, providing around 120-150 beds. He also said that a new hospital building that will be constructed in Gozo will include a Psychiatry department.

He said that the biggest effort over the coming years will be on community care, adding that it must become a mainstay of psychiatric care in Malta