Nurses union wants worst wards at Mount Carmel Hospital ‘evacuated’ by September

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has insisted that the at Mount Carmel Hospital that are in the worst condition to no longer be used after September 2019.

In a statement on Saturday, the union said that despite several meetings with the Health Division to agree on a timeline of works related to ceiling repairs, little progress has yet been made.

It said that though there was a “positive drive” on behalf of the Health Division, to see the much-needed works start, a request for participation aimed securing a contractor for the works had “failed miserably”. It said the Health Division was now issuing another call.

“MUMN is insisting that the worst wards at Mount Carmel be evacuated by the end of September 2019,” the union said, adding that works could not be delayed any longer.

“It is not acceptable for either the patients or the staff working in these wards to have works postponed further.”

It accused the hospital’s administration of being insensitive and inefficient in the manner it was addressing such “challenges”.

Once finalised, the MUMN said it would be publishing all the agreed upon work timelines “for the general public, including nurses to be able to see management’s successes or failures”.

“Patients and staff should be placed in a hospital which respects the dignity and the integrity of the patients,” the union said.

On a separate note, the MUMN said it wanted to disassociate itself from a call for the hospital to be closed down, made by the Richmond Foundation this week.

The foundation said the hospital needed to be closed down “for all psychiatric conditions”, insisting that the hospital was unfit to treat patients.

It said that though the care received by patients may be good, the building was not conducive to recovery, adding that the edifice should be “completely re-purposed” so as to unlatch the stigma associated with the place. It went on to suggest that better community care was also needed to avoid admitting patients to hospital unless absolutely necessary.

“When other countries used the approach of closing down institutions such as Mt Carmel Hospital, the patients ended up suffering because the whole system of mental health care literllay collapsed,” the union said.

It accused the Richmond Foundation of showing disrespect towards the patients and the health professionals working in the hospital.

MUMN said that nurses working at the hospital were giving a “sterling service” and were “truly the experts in mental health”.