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OPENING ADDRESS BY THE HON. LAWRENCE GONZI, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICY, AT THE "GAMIAN CONVENTION AND SECOND EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP" ORGANISED BY THE RICHMOND FOUNDATION – QAWRA – 16TH NOVEMBER 2001
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16/11/2001
16/11/2001
| Chairpersons, | Hon. Members of Parliament Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| It’s a pleasure for me to be invited to address and | welcome the distinguished guests and participants for this Fourth Annual Convention and Second Education Workshop of the GAMIAN – Europe. A quick review of the programme and content abstracts of this Convention indicates that the coming three-days will provide us with a most interesting and indeed highly engaging discussion. The continued study and observation of national and regional trends in mental health problems and related difficulties is essential for a coherent response both on the level of policy as well as treatment modalities and subsequently treatment outcomes. |
| There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is | another area where national policies and support structures must be designed in a manner that assists persons experiencing mental health difficulties to regain control over their social networks and their lifestyles. The challenge is to identify the ways and means in which we can co-ordinate national resources in a manner that achieves this objective. |
| A grounded policy framework necessitates the | participation of a number of social partners in the field of mental health as well as clients themselves. We have over a number of years, and with the dedication of a number of professionals, set up an appreciable Mental Health Service about which I note, you will be given a presentation following my address by the Hon. Helen D’Amato, who happens to be the Chairperson of our Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee. I am certain that her presentation will cover the salient points of the sector in Malta, especially since her Parliamentary Committee has had the opportunity to delve into this subject a few months ago. |
| I will not, however, go into the administrative or | institutional capacity of our country in this respect since I believe that my contribution should focus on a policy framework for Mental Health Services in Malta from a social policy perspective, that is, from the point of view of social inclusion, productive participation and accessibility. |
Social Inclusion
| We are quite aware that social exclusion presents us | with a moving target. No fixed standards of inclusion will ever fully resolve our commitment to keep removing barriers, whether institutionalised or emerging. I am referring to those barriers that do not allow each and every individual to experience self-fulfilment and effectiveness as a person living within an inclusive community. |
| A small closely-knit and normative society such as | ours poses a particular challenge. We have strong points mixed with weak points. Extended family relations and networks is a strong point, but this is tampered by what can be described as a culture based on negative perceptions, that continues to permeate our society notwithstanding our efforts to change this and notwithstanding some important progress registered over recent years. |
| The problems faced by persons experiencing mental | health difficulties stem therefore from this cultural and social background which no policy can shatter except by gradual, steadfast and ongoing efforts to educate and communicate a new response which can seep in and challenge mental maps and patterns ingrained over a long number of years. The challenge we face is therefore has an important socio-cultural dimension. |
| A number of NGOs work hard in this field. The | National Mental Health Federation besides seeking to build collaborative partnerships regularly embarks on media campaigns and initiatives in a bid to challenge negative public attitudes and behaviours. In a similar vein, Government has taken a number of initiatives to establish community residential or respite services for persons experiencing mental health difficulties. All of these initiatives provide us with a learning experience both for us as policy makers as well as for the community residents themselves. |
| Having mentioned the NGOs, I would like to emphasise | the crucial role which NGOs play in the local social welfare support services scene. I have often been quoted as saying that the voluntary sector in Malta, including the Church, has been the precursor of what became to be known as the welfare state. These organisations still serve as a backbone to our social welfare services, and my government continues to provide financial and administrative support to them because we believe that this partnership fosters co-responsibility and social solidarity. |
Productive Participation
| There is also an economic dimension in seeking to | assist persons with mental health difficulties to regain their personal effectiveness. I must be careful how to make this point since I risk economic considerations tend to devalue the human side of the issue. But the point needs to be made since it justifies the investment that an economy needs to make in order to address the challenges of the mental health sector. |
| Undoubtedly, mental health problems tend to generate | a consonant and parallel drop in productive capacity during times of duress, reactive mental health instability or mood disorders. This decreased capacity to be effective can in itself be a further debilitating factor both on the level of morale as well as treatment outcome. |
| As government, we have opted for positive-action | responses focussed on prevention and the minimisation of risk to enhance mental well-being. It is worth noting that well-being as a concept is gaining increasing importance in occupation health and safety, owing to the fact that more than 41 million EU workers are affected by work-related stress each year. In fact, late last week, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work decided to dedicate theEuropean Week for Safety and Health at Work 2002to tackle the growing problem of work-induced stress by increasing awareness of these and other psychosocial risks as well as promoting and developing preventive measures. |
| Within the local scene we have been very careful and | sensitive to this growing concern. A Bill setting up the Occupational Health and Safety Authority passed in Parliament in April this year, speaks of the employers’ responsibility to safeguard not only the physical, but also the psychological well-being of employees – a remarkable paradigm shift from the traditional health and safety management regime in industry and enterprise. |
| This notwithstanding, the Authority will also be | working in tandem with the Health Authorities and the local NGOs to establish an Employee Assistance Unit with the scope of providing first-level support to workers experiencing health-related problems at work, which might include psychological or psychiatric conditions arising from improper work practices or ill-health environments. |
Accessibility
| On a different front, however, we also hold a major | commitment to improve accessibility and employability. Accessibility is often confused with ramps and lifts for persons with disability. But it also means opening up the labour market to facilitate participation in economic activity and social functioning. It is the latter concept which encapsulates our commitment to create the necessary structures, be they legal, administrative or institutional, which facilitate both employability and adaptability for citizens and especially for disadvantaged groups such as persons with disability, individuals with mental health problems, persons with history of crime of substance misuse, as well as those with very low educational achievement. |
| Our policy is to design initiatives and social | support services that bring the best out of each citizen in the belief that each individual needs to continuously tap into one’s own resources and maximise on them for personal, social and national gain. It is with this in mind that our local employment service Agency, the Employment and Training Corporation will be increasing its efforts to facilitate access to the labour market to these disadvantaged groups both by raising their employability as well as by advocating and brokering their labour market penetration through schemes designed to encourage employers take their corporate social obligations more seriously. |
| We will also be announcing very shortly a change in | our policy regarding social security benefits payable to those who are in residential care and who start to undergo some work experience. In these cases we will continue to guarantee the payment of social security benefit if the income of the individual does not exceed the national minimum wage. Indeed we are already putting this into practice by administrative decision and our first indications are very positive. |
Conclusion
| Mental health is not only a psycho-medical challenge | but also a political and social challenge. We strongly believe in the WHO’s commitment to mental health as a human right – I would say – an act of justice redressed and not one of charity or pity implored. No effort can be justified solely on grounds or mercy, only those done on grounds of equality of treatment. Our challenge is therefore to remain vigilant against an overt or covert paternalistic culture at the same time providing a social challenge to grow out of ingrained attitudes and behaviours. |
| On a national level, our efforts and challenges lie | in our opportunity to tap into and facilitate the potential to render each and every citizen effective irrespective of the situation or circumstance being experienced, simultaneously providing those social welfare support structures to help those who either reactively or innately experience mental health problems or difficulties which hinder their personal and social well-being. |
| I trust that during this convention you will delve | much deeper into the issue than I have done this afternoon. Mental Health is an exciting challenge and your presence here strengthens our collective resolve to find solutions and effective responses which can better the quality of life of those who request our interventions and assistance. |
| Allow me to thank the Richmond Foundation, not just | for making it possible for this Convention to be held in our Islands but also for the sterling work they are doing as a major NGO working locally in the Mental Health sector. |
Thank You.
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