GSD hits out on Govt’s mental health motion

The GSD has described a Parliamentary Motion tabled by the Minister for Health, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, on the Mental Health Board Report as “self-congratulatory”.

The party said that the Report was received by Mrs Arias-Vasquez last January, but was “sat on” for several months.

“It has not yet been published and may only be laid in Parliament next week,” the GSD said.

“Even so and ahead of publication the Government published a Motion a few days ago on Monday 13 May that asks the Parliament to note the contents and recommendations of the Report.”

The party said it is impossible for GSD MPs to “note” anything given that they have not even seen the Report.

“The Motion is a monument to self-congratulation in circumstances when the GSD MPs who are being asked to vote for it have not even seen a copy of the Report,” Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi said.

“Additionally, many users of the mental health services who have endured lack of support and deficiencies in mental health services for so many years will be surprised at the Health Minister’s approach.”

“Are they supposed to believe everything is now fine with mental health services after the very serious concerns that many have expressed for many years? Is this also an attempt to airbrush the history of previous criticism with a whitewash of self-congratulation?”

The GSD added that the Motion further seeks to “commend the Government for improvements and that it will ‘work tirelessly’ to improve the provision of mental health services.”

The party said it is again impossible without having seen the report and called the tabling of such a Motion “presumptuous in the extreme”.

“The Motion additionally asks the Parliament to ‘welcome’ the tabling of the Mental Health Board Annual Inspection Report 2023 by the Health Minister which, as stated, and at the date of the filing of the Motion has not yet been tabled and is not even on the Agenda of documents to be tabled circulated to MPs,” the GSD said.

Shadow Health Minister Joelle Ladislaus said that the party will judge the Mental Health Report when it is published.

“But it is clear that the presentation of this Motion is presumptuous given that the Report has not even been published and cannot so glibly remove the concerns many users have had in relation to this Government’s handling of Mental Health services,” Mrs Ladislaus said.