A request for proposals for the construction of a new 150-bed acute mental health hospital will be issued by the end of this summer and adjudicated by the end of the year, Health Minister Chris Fearne has told The Malta Independent on Sunday. The project, a public-private-partnership, will also include extensive refurbishment of Mount Carmel Hospital.

In an interview, Mr Fearne was asked about government plans for the infamous mental health hospital in Attard. There have been numerous complaints about Mount Carmel, including its general environment and issues related to staff and security. A few weeks ago, a man pleaded with a magistrate to send him to prison rather than back to the mental health hospital. And a British man, Thomas Stewart, has been missing for over six weeks after jumping over a wall in the hospital’s garden while unsupervised. His wife has called on the authorities to tear down the ‘grim’ and ‘horrible’ place.

Security being improved

Mr Fearne said that the government had acted immediately on the issue of security after the disappearance of Mr Stewart. “Shortly after the incident I asked for a review of the security situation. The report handed to me is quite detailed and includes several recommendations, including on staff deployment and infrastructural changes. One of the recommendations is to have doors that are opened by using access cards so that there is a record of who goes in and out. I have passed on the report to the Permanent Secretary and, together with the CEO of Mount Carmel, we are starting to implement these recommendations.”

Mr Fearne agreed that the atmosphere at Mount Carmel is not pleasant. “It is an old building. I don’t like going there. Our intention is to carry out a huge reform at the hospital.”

Tom Stewart disappeared after jumping over a garden wall at Mount Carmel more than six weeks ago. 

While some would rather see the hospital demolished once and for all, Mr Fearne explains that this simply cannot happen. “The reason is that there are a good number of patients, hundreds in fact, who have lived there for years and are completely institutionalised. They cannot be relocated into the community. Because of this we have to carry out an extensive refurbishment programme there.”

New hospital could be built near Mater De

The renovation of Mount Carmel will be part of a project that also includes the construction of a new acute mental health hospital. Mr Fearne explained that the hospital will have 150 beds and, although nothing has been decided yet, the authorities are eying a piece of land near Mater Dei. “This will be an acute hospital where patients would spend a couple of weeks, recover and go back home.

“We have recently issued two tenders – one for the provision of legal services related to tenders that will be issued for Mount Carmel and the other for accountancy services to issue a Request for Proposals for the acute hospital. The plan is for the request for proposals to be issued by the end of this summer and for the tender to be adjudicated by the end of the year.”

The full interview with Minister Chris Fearne will be published in tomorrow’s edition of The Malta Independent.