Joseph Busuttil writes:

The recent passage to pastures new of this eminent psychiatrist should not be allowed to fade away without highlighting some of the major milestones he brought about in the mental health field.

Throughout his lengthy career, Prof. Abraham Galea fought tooth and nail to topple from its permanent pedestal the plague of stigma surrounding mental illness and those suffering from it. So powerful was it in his early working years that people used to plea with him to make home visits after dark, so that neighbours would not see him entering their house.

In his treatment, lectures, broadcasts and writings, Prof. Galea did much to debunk the myths and misconceptions fogging mental ailments that society now accepts on a par with physical conditions.

On becoming superintendent of Mount Carmel Hospital, he gradually started to change a hitherto mainly autocratic administration powered by the medical model to a democratic milieu based on the biopsychosocial concept.

Prof. Galea was a firm believer in, and harnesser of, the multidisciplinary treatment team, not only paying lip service to its members but enthusiastically empowering them to develop hospital as well as community services.

Despite achieving success and recognition locally and in the international sphere, Prof. Galea remained firmly rooted to his simple background. Humbleness was his trademark. He was accessible, supportive, and able to defuse tense situations, helped by a wry sense of humour and a vast array of anecdotes. The craving for cash syndrome did not affect him, for in private practice, patients who could not afford to pay were seen for free, and given the same time and treatment as those who could.

Like all human beings, Prof. Galea had his human faults, but these pale into insignificance when one looks at how much present-day mental health services owe their success to his vision and leadership.

Gone are the days when one felt ashamed to admit that one suffers from mental ill health, when young people failed to see any promising future in a career in psychiatric services, when Mount Carmel Hospital was overcrowded and the sole service provider, and when psychiatry was the Cinderella of the Ministry of Health.

Those who have had the privilege of knowing or working with Prof. Galea join his beloved family in mourning this great loss, yet at the same time feel fortunate to have encountered this larger than life amiable personality.

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