It's an absolute and utter disgrace to close day centre -Warnock

Cllr Justin Warnock asked for support of the elected members in calling on the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD and Tony Canavan REO, HSE West and North West to immediately reopen the Day Care Centre at Our Lady's Hospital in Manorhamilton.

He said that the centre has now been closed for five years to the "detriment of a large number of older and vulnerable people with extra needs in our community and they feel betrayed and abandoned by the HSE" and the service has been moved to the community centre. "People with disabilities of any sort are not being catered for and giving up on it," he added. 

He said Covid was blamed for the removal of the centre at the hospital and that it has now been converted to offices. He continued that the numbers who need the facility are on the rise. 

"People who worked all their lives and have nowhere to go now when they've some setbacks in life and it's a bad way for us to treat our older people. It's an absolute and utter disgrace," he said.

Cllr Mary Bohan said that the day centre was closed down during Covid and now it "has been converted to offices. I don't know how it can be more important to have offices than to look after people."

She seconded the motion. 

She said that this "service is crucial for people and should be restored." 

Cllr Sean McDermott also supported the motion and said the service was one that was well utilised "because people got a health check if they didn't feel well and that was very important" before adding that "the taking away of that service shouldn't have happened." 

Cllr Frank Dolan and Cllr Padraig Fallon also supported the motion. 

Cllr Warncok said the day centre covered a "massive area; these people are trying to live at home and the one service that they needed was taken away." 

Cllr Felim Gurn said that a message had to be sent from "the Manorhamilton municipal area that we are calling for the reinstatement of the services."