New lease of life
Plea for Grove to be symbol of ‘hope’ for improved services for children
TÁNAISTE Micheál Martin officially opened the new multi-million-euro re-development of the former Bon Secours Hospital in Tuam on Monday morning – a building he, as Health Minister, approved the £3 million needed to purchase the property when it was sold to the then Western Health Board in 2001. The building has revived the streetscape of Vicar Street, but the Tánaiste stressed that buildings on their own aren’t enough.
He told the opening that the recruitment and retention of staff was the biggest challenge facing the health service, particularly therapists for the early intervention services. “We have to work hard to get it sorted,” he remarked.
The Tánaiste had listened to the emotional and heartfelt words of a mother of three who was acting as the voice for families who continue to fight for access to the services their children desperately need.
“No one has a better insight than a parent and this must be acknowledged. Sometimes parents can be dismissed by clinicians. Parents may not always be right, but they’re not always wrong,” commented the Tánaiste…
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