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SPEECH BY THE HON DR LOUIS DEGUARA, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT THE ‘GAMIAN – EUROPE CONVENTION’ – NEW DOLMEN HOTEL, SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2001
16/11/2001
| Madam Chair, | Regional Advisor For Mental Health, Ladies and Gentlemen. |
| I am pleased to hear that this conference has acted | as a catalyst to strengthen the partnerships between the various member organisations of GAMIAN -- partnerships that I am sure will further enhance the international collaboration and the sharing of new ideas and experiences for the welfare of clients suffering from mental health problems. |
| My Government has always put mental health to the | fore of its political agenda. Such a priority to mental health issues is based on two complementary scenarios. |
The Political Scenario
Primarily, my Government’s philosophy in creating wealth and a caring society is focused and directed towards the social and economic betterment of each individual citizen. We believe that socio-economic progress can only be attained through policies that promote an inclusive society, where every citizen has not only a right but also a responsibility to partake in the development of the socio-economic environment.
Such a vision, based on the notion that every citizen has a worthwhile contribution to offer to society -- whether able bodied, physically disabled or suffering from a chronic disorder such as mental illness -- has moulded our strategy to redirect our social policy from one that promotes the welfare state to one that fosters a welfare society.
The shift from a welfare state to a welfare society is not a cosmetic change, but a radical reform in the role of government. Whilst in the welfare state the government assumes the role of the ‘pater bonum familiae’ -- within the concept of the welfare society the government’s role is to create, promote and sustain an environment whereby every individual has the same opportunity to participate in all spheres of society according to his capabilities.
This radical change in our role as government, has necessitated the implementation of social programmes that facilitate the integration of mentally ill clients within the main stream of society -- programmes that empower our clients to develop their potential to live an independent and fulfilling life within their community.
The Health Scenario
Rational health service resource allocation must satisfy inter alia the principles of equity and the optimisation of the health status of our society. Such criteria compel us to give priority to mental health, bearing in mind that it is one of the main disease burdens within our society and that its prevalence will increase over the coming years. Our response to this truism was to formulate a National Policy for Mental Health Services way back in 1994. On the bases of this policy we have been reforming our mental health services through an incremental and sustainable strategy.
Reform Programme
| The driving ethos of our reform programme is to | supply a personalised and timely service to our clients and their social networks through the provision of a seamless spectrum of services. All our reforms are client centred and outcome driven. |
| One often hears in conferences such as this one, for | the need to allocate more resources to the mental health sector. However, one has to bear in mind that the rapidly changing fluxes and the ever-increasing demand for additional resources across the entire health care sector makes such an approach either unrealistic or unsustainable. |
| Worldwide, the health sector is renowned for its | technical inefficiency. Such a reality required us to focus more on the management of the mental health sector in our initial stages of the reform action programme. The objective was to enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of the services provided. Through the introduction of appropriate management systems we were able to identify areas of resource wastage and re-direct such resources for the provision of new services without an additional cost to the taxpayer. Our war on waste is an ongoing process and those responsible for such inefficiencies are increasingly becoming aware of the need to rectify their practice so as to release more resources for new services. We are proud that the vision behind our managerial and financial reforms in this sector is being exported to other countries of the European Region. |
| Mental illness has its own idiosyncrasies. It is | often compounded by social and psychological problems that need to be effectively addressed if we are to offer a holistic service. Such rationale has necessitated us to alter the previous dominant bio-medical model of care to a multi disciplinary approach proffering the socio-psycho-medical care plan. This change was only possible through the recruitment of additional professional personnel such as social workers and psychologists together with a change in the working culture. |
| Our impetus to provide a service that addresses the | multiplicity of needs of our clients and, also, to attain our political ideology of a welfare society has compelled us to introduce new programmes that cater for the social needs of our clients. Such programmes range from social skills training, housing schemes through partnership with the private sector, employment training and employment schemes. Currently we are in the final phase of setting up a cooperative society to provide additional employment opportunities for our clients. |
| Over the past two years we have expanded our services | within the community sector. The drive to further provide efficient and effective community services is now our main priority. We will primarily attain this by shifting resources from the hospital to the community sector and by optimally utilising the already available resources within the primary care sector and the social sector. The crux of this reform programme is to provide appropriate training programmes to doctors, nurses and social workers currently working within the community to empower them to provide effective mental health care. |
| Our community reform action programmes demand the | active participation of the non-governmental organisations. Given the scarcity of resources, whether they are financial or human resources, such collaboration is a prerequisite to avoid duplication of services and ensure value for money. We will be supporting these NGOs to enhance their professionalism and the quality of their services, provided that they partake synergistically in such reform programmes. |
| Madam Chair, the operational fluxes acting on the | mental health sector have a commonality amongst all countries, though the options to address it might differ given the different socio-cultural parameters prevalent in our countries. My Government is committed to enhance the mutual collaboration in the health sector amongst countries, as this enriches our knowledge base and experience. In this light, we actively participate in the World Health Organisation European Network for Mental Health, chaired by Dr Wolfgang Rutz, the Regional Advisor for Mental Health and also in Mental Health Europe, an international non governmental organisation whose mission is to better the social and health status of mentally ill clients. |
| I augur that the outcome of this conference will | benefit our clients and opens avenues for further collaboration amongst the various national non-governmental organisations. In unison there is strength -- strength that has to be harnessed and built upon to effectively address the problems within this sector, counter the stigma towards our clients and educate the public on mental health issues. Together we will attain our vision for a caring society whereby all citizens have an equal opportunity to better their social well being. |
| Once again, I would like to thank the organisers, | distinguished speakers and all the participants for the privilege of sharing their experiences and for leaving with us such a wealth of knowledge. |
Thank You
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