A number of stakeholders in the health sector and other sectors are participating in a two-day National Workshop organised in collaboration between the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the main theme The future of mental health care .
This workshop is being held as part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s programme Addressing mental health challenges in the 27 countries of the European Union, Iceland and Norway which is being funded by the EU.
The aim of this workshop is to identify opportunities for improvement in the field of mental health, as well as discuss ways to integrate mental health care into health services. Therefore, during these two days, those present will be discussing together best practices in this field and the future of mental health care.
Addressing the workshop, Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela said that in recent years, great advances have been made in mental health care. He mentioned that in 2014, Mount Carmel Hospital had around 580 patients, while today this number has dropped to 250. He said that in the same period, the number of psychiatric consultants has doubled from 12 to 24.
Minister Abela also praised the work being done in the transfer of psychiatric care to the community, the introduction of the helpline 1579, as well as the work being carried out by the Home Crisis Resolution team. He also mentioned the importance of employees continuing to receive every assistance so that their own mental health is protected. Minister Abela concluded by saying that the Government is committed to continuing to implement further changes in this very important area.
