PL Whip Godfrey Farrugia reiterated his call for a new mental healthcare hospital to be built next to Mater Dei, while calling for Mt Carmel to be turned into residential units for the elderly or those in need of similar care through a possible Private-Public Partnership.

The new hospital he said, would only need around 110 beds. The former minister said that Mt Carmel has 650 beds, 450 of which are dedicated to patients suffering from mental illness.  The rest of the beds are given to the elderly who can no longer continue being cared for in the community, and another part is taken up by the Forensic Unit. He also mentioned that many of those at Mt Carmel need residential care, more than mental illness care.

The PL Whip had originally made the call when he was Health Minister, and today also highlighted the importance of community care for patients with mental illness.

He spoke about the costs spent on Mt Carmel, and the cost having a patient institutionalised has on society.

He called for more proactive treatment of persons with mental illness.

 "Every patient ad Mt Carmel costs around €100 per day. A St Vincent De Paul resident costs €70 a day. A patient in a residential home costs not more than €50".

The PL Whip said that mental illness patients require different forms of treatment. The ratio of patients to carers in Mt Carmel is much higher than those in residential homes, he said.

"We should not have a Victorian mental healthcare system. The mental health services must again be put on the forefront of the public healthcare agenda".