The new community hostels will tear down the wall dividing mental patients from society, health, elderly and community care Minister Louis Deguara said this yesterday.

He was speaking during a brief ceremony at Mount Carmel Hospital to sign an agreement with two NGOs, Suret il-Bniedem and Richmond Foundation. The NGOs will provide care and supervision to a number of mental patients who will be located in these hostels.

Minister Deguara said that the project complements the reforms that his ministry is undertaking in state hospitals. Compared to other EU countries, Malta’s rate of mental admissions was high, Dr Deguara said, adding that this was due to the fact that the country did not have enough facilities to cater for different mental health issues.

That said, the number of patients at Mt Carmel Hospital had gone down from 700 to 400, he explained.

When patients are placed in community hostels, they will be more in touch with society, thereby facilitating their recovery. The hostels will house 24 patients who have lived for a long time in hospital.

The agreement provides guidelines on how patients should be cared for and how the hostels should be managed. The parties have agreed to set up a committee comprising representatives from the hospital and both foundations to manage the hostels. Each party has also agreed to contribute towards the patient’s care.

The patients chosen to enter these hostels have already started an orientation programme to help them adapt to life outside Mt Carmel.

Dr Deguara said that this did not mean that the patients will no longer be under the responsibility of hospital consultants but they will receive treatment in a different environment.

The small number of patients living in each hostel will allow for more personalised care.

Dr Deguara said that the opening of hostels was just a small part of the government’s plan to upgrade the community services provided by Mt Carmel Hospital.

Minister Deguara said that while the government will be heavily subsidising this initiative, patients will be asked to pay a nominal fee of Lm2 per day.