The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has ordered its members to refuse admission to illegal immigrants at Mount Carmel Hospital.

MUMN cannot tolerate that nurses and patients are put at high risk for their safety due to flagrant “abuse” by illegal immigrants in the detentions centres, the union said in a statement.

Illegal immigrants in detention centres are purposely causing “self-harm” with the intention of being transferred to Mt. Carmel Hospital to the detriment of the other patients and staff working there.

Such a high influx of illegal immigrants in the Mixed Admission Wards is causing serious harassment to other patients and staff, not to mention that such illegal immigrants are taking up beds much needed in Mt. Carmel Hospital.

These illegal immigrants “cause havoc and harassment” to the other patients and staff working in the Admission Wards. Such arrogance and abuse of the system from these illegal immigrants is compounded by the fact that the detention officers are stationed outside the ward, leaving the illegal immigrants unattended due to Covid measures, the MUMN said. Detention officers are being left outside the ward since the Mixed Admission Ward is small and due to covid measures, social distance measure cannot be kept due to overcrowding.

The fact that illegal immigrants cannot be supervised by their detention officers makes it possible for them to be free to roam and harass other patients and staff on the ward. It is clear to all that illegal immigrants are purposely using the pretext of “self-harm” in a ward which does not cater for such high influx of illegal immigrants, the MUMN said. The overcrowding makes it more difficult to control such patients. Not to mention that the shortage of nurses at Mt. Carmel Hospital makes it impossible to control such patients, the union added.

MUMN cannot understand the rationale behind these decisions since at the detention centre there is a purposely built unit to cater for such situations. At Mt. Carmel Hospital, eight wards were closed down in the last six years with no new investment being done to cater for the needs of the mental health care in Malta. The lack of beds and lack of infrastructure has become a hazard to the nurses and the patients due to the overcrowding in all wards at the hospital, the union said.

"Therefore, MUMN is left with no choice but to issue directives for nurses in all wards at Mt. Carmel Hospital to refuse any admissions of illegal immigrants that are abusing the system, holding up priceless beds to the detriment of the staff and other patients". MUMN cannot remain idle in front of this flagrant abuse, waiting for a disaster to happen which could result of loss of lives of nurses or other patients. Such directive is with immediate effect, the union said.

MUMN invited the Commissioner for Mental Health to evaluate this situation and report such matters to the Ministry for Health and the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security to liaise and coordinate on this matter in the interest of the patients recovered at Mt. Carmel Hospital.