The Malta Refugee Council said Friday it was shocked by the “lack of sensitivity” shown by the nurses’ union and urged it to withdraw instructions it had issued earlier in the day.

The MUMN earlier instructed nurses to refuse admitting migrants to Mount Carmel Hospital, claiming they were “purposely” causing self-harm to be admitted to the facility.  

The influx of migrants at MCH was causing “serious harassment” to other patients and staff and was taking up much-needed beds, it said.

Reacting, the refugee council said “ample research and our own experiences confirm the severe psychological harm caused by detention. These are otherwise healthy men, women and children who are locked up - often without any legal basis - in living conditions best described as awful and undignified.”

“Too often we witness self-harm, suicide attempts and other actions that the Union brushes off as 'abuses of the system'. For us, these are not abuses but the extremely worrying effects of a policy that entirely dehumanises people who, very often, are already suffering from trauma and other severe mental health issues.”

The council said it sees such cases on a weekly basis and it is deeply saddened that this is the treatment Malta has chosen to offer them.   

“We appreciate the challenges being faced by mental health professionals, including within the difficult environment that is Mount Carmel Hospital. Nonetheless, we must underline the need for all persons to receive appropriate treatment for their mental health problems without discrimination or attention to immigration status. We urge the Union to immediately withdraw instructions to its members so that detained migrants are able to receive the attention and care they need to live in dignity.”

The statement was endorsed by Richmond Foundation