asked the Minister for Health if he will consider positively a proposal from the Western Health Board regarding the provision of community care psychiatric services in the Connemara area of County Galway.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Connemara Community Care Psychiatric Services.
6.
Psychiatric services for the Connemara area are at present provided from the unit at the regional hospital.
The Western Health Board have submitted plans for the development of community psychiatric services throughout their area in line with the recommendations of the report, Planning for the Future. Already a number of community facilities have been provided. Their overall plans are being discussed with the board but I would be prepared to consider detailed proposals for the Connemara area.
Can I ask the Minister where facilities have been provided in Connemara to date and what amount of money, if any, has been allocated by him to the Western Health Board to provide facilities in the Connemara area of County Galway in 1986? Is he aware of the fact that parts of Connemara are up to 80 miles away from the psychiatric unit of the regional hospital in Galway which is a small unit designed specifically to service the city and its environs?
The present proposal it to provide a day care centre at Clifden. We wish to facilitate the health board in providing services in areas which are up to 40 miles from Galway city. At present our immediate consideration is the Castlerea catchment area but we are quite prepared to consider proposals for the Connemara sector also. At present these are confined to Clifden. If we get further proposals from the Western Health Board we will consider them sympathetically.
Does the Minister agree that the drastic proposals to close down the psychiatric hospital in Castlerea are not being matched by a comparative effort, either on his part or on the part of the Department, to provide funds for facilities in the other rural areas throughout the western region in order to offset the large number of psychiatric patients in Castlerea hospital who need constant care and attention?
That is another matter.
It is a serious situation for people who cannot speak for themselves.