The Minister for Health, who yesterday announced a £13 million development project for St Ita's Hospital, Portrane, in Dublin, faces pressure from opposition parties in the Dail today to allocate extra funding to the mentally handicapped.
The National Association for the Mentally Handicapped said yesterday it welcomed the much-delayed news of the St Ita's project from Mr Cowen, but believed some of the funding had been previously announced, including the £5 million capital funding.
This afternoon in the Dail a private members' motion from the opposition parties calls for an additional £30 million revenue for the mentally handicapped and their families and £30 million capital investment.
The Labour Party spokeswoman on health, Ms Roisin Shortall, welcomed the St Ita's project, but said the announcements were not new. "If Mr Cowen honestly believes he can deflect attention from the all-party opposition private members' motion to be taken tomorrow and Wednesday with this re-heat, he is sadly mistaken," she said.
She also said the extra money would not provide any additional residential care places. "The current waiting list for residential and respite care is 1,439. Nor will it provide any additional places at all for the 1,036 waiting for day care. These figures represent the size of the task ahead of us. For every person on the waiting list there is a tale of urgent need for those individuals and their families," she said.
The St Ita's project will be funded jointly by the Department of Health and the Eastern Health Board - £7 million Department funding and £4 million from the sale of lands at St Ita's, which are "surplus to requirements".
A health board spokesman said up to 30 of the 280 acres will be sold and it is expected to make over £4 million from the sale of the land. The project will provide alternative and refurbished accommodation for people with a mental handicap currently living there.
Mr Cowen said the project is the first of a number of measures for people with mental handicap, undertaken under the £30 million four-year national capital programme which he put in place last year. The investment was further evidence of this Government's commitment to the development and enhancement of these services, particularly for people who, due to lack of suitable facilities in the past, were accommodated in inappropriate facilities such as psychiatric hospitals, he said.
Two bungalow complexes are to be developed on sites located off St Ita's campus and a further two on the campus. An allocation of £2 million had already been made for one of the complexes at Oldtown in north County Dublin. The day and other therapy services are to be relocated on campus and upgraded. Some of the existing units are to be refurbished to provide "appropriate accommodation for the remaining elderly clients".
St Ita's was originally built to accommodate 1,200 patients. Today there are 240 people on the campus. Fifty-nine, who are severely mentally handicapped, will be accommodated in the new purpose-built units. A further 120 will move to the bungalow complexes. The remainder, mostly elderly, will be in upgraded, refurbished accommodation.
THE Government is expected to survive tomorrow night's vote on a cross-party motion calling for the allocation of an additional £60 million to meet the needs of those with mental handicap.
The Democratic Left spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, yesterday called on the three Independent TDs who normally support the Government - Ms Mildred Fox, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae and Mr Harry Blaney - to back the "unique cross-party motion".
Government sources last night said they would discuss the issue today with Ms Fox, who was unavailable for comment last night. Mr Healy-Rae confirmed he would support the Government but pointed out the need for funding to assist those with mental handicap. Mr Blaney is in hospital and will not be attending the Dail. ail and the Progressive Democrats. The main Opposition parties have been joined in supporting the motion by Democratic Left, the Green Party and by the Independent Socialist TD, Mr Joe Higgins.