Promise Of Mental Health Hospital Resurrected, Says PN

The Nationalist Party has accused Prime Minister Robert Abela of treating mental health as a political tool, describing the issue as the latest casualty in the run up to an election.

Speaking on behalf of the PN, Shadow Minister for Preventive and Primary Care Ian Vassallo and Shadow Minister for Health Stephen Spiteri said that only months after reviving proposals for a metro, despite previously declaring the project unfeasible, Abela has now resurrected another long standing pledge, the construction of a new mental health hospital.

The party noted that the promise had featured in Labour’s 2017 and 2022 electoral manifestos but was later shelved.

Instead of building the facility near Mater Dei Hospital as previously pledged, the Government opted to develop additional mental health wards within the existing hospital.

According to the PN, this shift effectively buried the original proposal.

The Opposition argued that the renewed commitment appears set to be recycled once again in Labour’s next manifesto. It described the approach as shameful, claiming that the Government treats serious issues and vulnerable people as little more than votes.

The statement also pointed to the condition of Mount Carmel Hospital as evidence that mental health is not a genuine priority. Health, the PN insisted, should never be reduced to an electoral strategy.

#MaltaDaily