The Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee discussed on Tuesday what MK Rachel Adato called the "disgraceful conditions" she had observed in the country's psychiatric hospitals on a recent visit to major institutions. Participating in the session was Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman.

Adato said that she major improvements in the psychiatric care system were necessary. "In the past we called institutions 'crazy houses' and dumped patients there. Today we call the victims of psychiatric disorders 'emotionally challenged,' but the poor care standards of the past still prevail," she told the Committee.