During a regular meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee on Thursday, October 16, alarming stories were heard from relatives of people suffering from mental disorders.
They said they felt “abandoned and without support” from the state. According to them, it is not uncommon for citizens with signs of mental disorders to be held for two or three days in police cells or forced to wait for hours in official cars until a court order for hospitalization is issued.
During the meeting, deputies also discussed the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy and the progress of construction of a new psychiatric hospital in Athalassa. As noted, the first stage of work has already been completed, and the second, the cost of which is estimated at approximately forty million euros, is still at the feasibility study stage. After its completion, the project will move to the tender stage.
DISI MP Savia Orfanidou, speaking at the end of the discussion, stressed that the situation had reached a critical point.
“We can no longer remain silent. We need support, we need help,” she quoted an appeal from a relative of a patient suffering from mental illness.
According to Orphanidou, such evidence clearly shows that mental health problems are becoming one of the most serious social ills of the 21st century.
Source: alphanews.live
