“The Government has strengthened the mental health services offered at Mount Carmel Hospital and in the community. We run five day centres and six clinics for clients with mental health problems.” This was said by Mario Galea Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care during the inauguration of the Seminar ‘Assertiveness in Our Lives’ held at Mount Carmel Hospital.

“This means that forty localities in Malta are benefitting from mental health services through the use of mental health clinics and day centres. Presently, there are five day centres located in Qormi, Cospicua, Floriana, Paola and Zejtun and six mental health clinics in Qormi, Cospicua, Mtarfa, Kirkop, Floriana and Paola,” he continued.

“160 professionals are providing their mental health services within the communities. The government is also providing social housing for mental health clients to integrate in society and to open a new chapter in their life.”

The Parliamentary Secretary thanked Dr John Mifsud for the seminar’s organisation saying it challenged society’s perspective that mental health is almost always related to pills or hospitalisation. He said that “psychology and psychiatry helped the individual to avoid medication. Such seminars help the participants to gain skills that enable them to live happier and fuller. Assertiveness is one of these skills.”

Mario Galea concluded by saying “that being assertive meant that an individual is tolerant to other ideas. Assertiveness does not condemn diversity but on the contrary it celebrates this concept. The speaker concluded that assertiveness challenges stereotypes.”

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