The real issues affecting mental health have not been properly addressed by the authorities, including the physical conditions of Mount Carmel Hospital, according to former health minister Godfrey Farrugia.

He told the Times of Malta that the government had “given the cold shoulder” to the mental health reform he prepared and instead it was “shelved”.

“Three per cent of our population suffers from some form of psychiatric illness, and the Budget did not mention a thing about it. Unfortunately, we have not been addressing the real issues when it comes to mental health,” Dr Farrugia said.

He was commenting in the wake of a story published in the Times of Malta last week regarding the closure of wards which architects had declared unsafe.

Only around 100 patients at the 650-bed hospital actually need acute psychiatric care

Photos showed that several of the wards are in a pitiful state, with beds almost touching each other, since patients have been crammed into the safe wards.

Metal support jacks are being used to hold up beams in some of the wards.

On Saturday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said that having the support jacks in place actually made the hospital safer, because they were supporting the eroding wooden beams.

Dr Farrugia, who always speaks passionately about Mount Carmel Hospital and its patients, said that only around 100 patients at the 650-bed hospital actually need acute psychiatric care. The rest, he said, were institutionalised patients, geriatrics and others who could be receiving care while living in the community.

This was part of a plan he put together when he was in office between 2013 and 2014, when he sought to implement the much-needed reform in the sector.

This plan not only envisaged the upgrading of Mount Carmel to reintroduce the dignity of the patients and staff but also included the introduction of half-way houses offering sheltered care in the community.

Moreover, there was a plan to build a new 130-bed hospital in the vicinity of Mater Dei Hospital.

Dr Farrugia also said that around 100 patients were on prolonged leave from Mount Carmel Hospital and could return at any time. However, if they were to return, there would not be any space for them, because all the beds were taken up.

“Since 2013, we have not addressed the real issues concerning mental health, and the envisaged structural changes at Mount Carmel Hospital were not taken on board.

“The sector requires not only a good plan but also proper facilities,” Dr Farrugia said.