Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/881840
11 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2017 News Sebat Ijiem. Every Sunday at 8.30pm on TVM2 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 These claims were indeed con- firmed by the letter passed on to MaltaToday by the female patients at MW8B, who said they were writing "out of sheer desperation… for immediate attention, for some- one to take action on the disas- trous, inhuman situation in which we find ourselves." The patients said the ward con- sisted of a corridor with five ad- joining single rooms – which this newspaper understands are not larger than six square metres – which are now hosting up to three beds, with an open toilet. In some cases, the lack of beds and space inside the hospital means some patients have to sleep on a mat- tress. At least 23 patients were reported in the ward at one time. "There is a small bench for us to sit on, however only three people can sit and eat relatively comfortably. "There is absolutely no furniture, no chairs, tables or sofas. Therefore we sit on the floor to watch TV, where only Maltese channels are shown. "There is absolutely no structure to the day, and we are not served any breakfast what- soever. We are entitled to tea or coffee, for which we have to beg and plead. More often than not, there is no milk until late in the day. Patients who have serious stomach or liver problems have to drink black coffee, and no food is served until 11:45," the patients write. They said that while three pa- tients have room to eat on the bench, the rest squat and eat on the floor at lunch. "The rooms are boiling hot, ab- solutely stifling, with very old fans that are useless." The corridor is locked off from the central lobby by a completely covered metal gate. "Staff take advantage of that fact by ignoring us, leaving us knocking for ages, just to ask for some sugar. The food is always either chicken or meatballs with seriously over- cooked potatoes and vegetables. We were told that the food is mush because of the elderly patients who can't chew their food. "We are given medication, some of which is with the intention to sedate patients in order for them to 'shut up'. We never get any fresh air whatsoever, and non-smok- ers have to live with six or more smokers. We have been asking for a Sunday newspaper for ages, but even that was denied." They also said that medication is rarely on time, while "most people end up with a long list of tranquil- lizers and addictive pills, such as diazepam." The patients said that it is "al- most impossible to believe that people are still living in this way. This letter is in no way exagger- ated, in fact, quite the opposite. Absolutely nothing is done to help patients with their recovery, as they are here simply to rot. This becomes obvious because patients start spending more and more time in bed, and patients with drug or alcohol problems end up with severe depression too." MP Godfrey Farrugia has ech- oed these claims in his letter to the Commissioner for Health. "There are 10 beds in different rooms but double the amount of patients, and the excess patients sleep on a mattress on the floor in the corridor," he said. Farrugia said that the patients are uninformed, that protocols don't even exist and there is a lack of equipment. He also said no nurse employed by the government wants to work and take responsi- bility of the ward, and consequent- ly, the Department of Health rem- edied the issue by calling private nurses. "I understand that these nurses are not all specialised in the field. However I want to applaud them for the work they are doing in this hall even though it is not their place," he said. There is also no outdoor yard, which Farrugia claims, means smokers are smoking inside which is a detriment to patients and medical staff. 'Revolving door' Officials at Mount Carmel Hos- pital this week claimed that home- less drug rehab patients have been turning to the mental health hospital for a place to sleep at, re- sulting in what psychologists and mental health nurses are calling a 'revolving door' at the hospital. Former patients discharged following a drug rehabilitation course, also continue to return to Mount Carmel in search of shel- ter. "They feel comfortable with us," managing direc- tor Maria Assunta Bonello said. "We give them metha- done, which reduces the withdrawal effect of drugs, or take them to Mater Dei if need be, but we cannot let these individuals roam the streets with nowhere to stay." The influx of synthetic drugs such as flakka, a syn- thetic drug that sends people into frenzy, has exponentially increased the number of drug ad- dicts and, subsequently, of pa- tients returning to Mount Carmel for somewhere to stay, Bonello continued. Synthetic drugs have exacer- bated the problem, which are now offering a cheaper alternative to drugs like cocaine. "Their family members and friends often give up on them, leaving them with their backs against the wall," Bonello said. The homeless shelter Dar San Frangisk has taken in some of these individuals, but has subsequently had to refuse them following alter- cations with other residents. Assunta Bonello insisted that the patients have a social worker, oc- cupational therapist and forensic psychologist following their case, but that "patients sometimes refuse treatment or rehabilitation because they lost hope that they will ever be sober again." Additional reporting by Denise Grech John Richens, noted in a report the "strong negative influence of the Catholic Church" in sexual education and that Malta was burying its head in the sand on sexual health. It was only in 2010 that a na- tional sexual health policy was given the green light with a €200,000 budget – after under- going three drafts since 1999. Grech's comments were strongly criticised by Dr Philip Carabott, the then head of the national genitourinary clinic, who noted that Malta had among the highest teenage pregnancies in Europe. "If the Bishop thinks this (sexual health) education is 'tantamount to abuse', then good luck to him." Malta's sexual health debate has since evolved, even though one of the oldest chestnuts in the entire saga – the installation of a contraceptive machine at the University of Malta – was only resolved in 2016. Health minister Chris Fearne is also yet to lower Malta's age of consent. In 2016 the dormant debate was reignited in the par- liamentary social affairs com- mittee, which was told by the Medical Council that the age of consent should be lowered from 18 to 16. The 2012 study Health Behav- iour in School-aged Children found that 40% of teens aged 16-18 in Malta were already sexually active. The Malta Pae- diatric Association has also said that statistics indicate that the age of sexual debut is on average around 15 years. In 2014, a survey by the Mal- tese Catholic archdiocese – which garnered over 7,000 re- sponses – showed a sizeable number of Catholics were at odds with the church's ban on contraception and its teaching on sexuality. Altogether, 51.3% said the Church's teaching "on sexuality in general, its position on abortion/euthanasia, divorce, birth control, heterosexual mar- riages and the refusal to give Holy Communion to cohabiting couples/civilly married/divorced and remarried" are contested by non-Catholics and non-practis- ing Catholics. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt enters eighth year Mt Carmel patients decry 'inhumane' conditions 149 277