Fianna Fáil Deputy, Robert Troy, has called on Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, to provide funding for an inpatient hospice unit in the Midlands as part of the Budget plans for 2017.
Deputy Troy was speaking following a statement by the CEO of the Irish Hospice Foundation, Sharon Foley, criticised the level of cancer care in the Midlands, describing it as “severely disadvantaged”.
The Programme for Government agreed earlier this year stated that it would encourage the development of a hospice within the region. Deputy Troy wants to see this delivered as a matter of urgency: “As someone who works very closely with the Hospice Association in the area, I see first-hand the struggle which families have to endure so that their loved ones are taken care of at their time of greatest need,” he said.
“I feel very strongly that this struggle must be taken away from families and that the high level of expert care required should be available in the area. The hospice volunteers do tremendous work in raising money to provide the care that currently exists, but we now need to see the State step up to the plate and provide funding to put a service in place which can ensure that every patient can receive a high level of care and compassion.”
