The MAP believes that for any mental health strategy to be implemented and to be sustainable it requires significant focus on the workforce. This implies, not only the workforce of medical staff but that of all other professionals working in mental health. Providing opportunities for training and for professionals to specialise is likely to attract staff to work within the national health service in mental health and provide an incentive for them to continue to work in the public sector rather than this acting as a stepping stone for private practice.
Simply building a new hospital is not enough to support the development of a modern mental health service. Nor is it enough to tackle the change of culture required to motivate staff to work in mental health and stop the brain drain of talented staff from our independently funded mental health services.
You can view the whole report here.
Related articles can be found in Malta Today, Lovinmalta, and Times of Malta.