PN applauds move to keep young patients out of adult wards

The Nationalist Party has welcomed the government’s recent proposal to stop the housing of young patients in adult wards in Mount Carmel hospital.

Speaker for Health Claudio Grech said in a press statement that this augurs well for the future of the mental health sector and for further political cooperation.

Last month Grech expressed concern over the case of a young boy who was allegedly kept in the seclusion ward at Mount Carmel hospital. The ward is used to house adults with severe mental health issues.

Following a request from the Opposition, the Parliamentary Committee for Health heard from a number of experts in the field and concluded that such cases should not be allowed to continue.

While praising the action, Grech said that the next step would be for the government to issue announce its plans for facilities for minors and target dates for the start of their operations.

He also said that the PN expected that the administration at Mount Carmel would do its utmost to keep children out of wards that are not adapted and reserved exclusively for children.