Healy welcomes upgrade work at former Clonmel mental health unit

Photo © Tipp FM

Over €700,000 is being spent on St Michael’s Unit in Clonmel with a further €½ a million for works on Our Lady’s in Cashel.

The figures were confirmed to Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath by the HSE this week.

The upgrade and renovation works on both hospitals are part of the Covid-19 response.

Deputy McGrath raised concerns about the excessive spending by the HSE on Covid related projects when funding was not available previously to make use of these hospitals.

However speaking on Tipp Today former TD Seamus Healy said the funding for St Michael’s is particularly welcome.

“I have no difficulty at all in the refurbishing of St Michael’s because I believe it gives us more ammunition to try and push for the reopening of those beds in the county and these mental health beds are absolutely necessary.”

“You know it’s simply not good enough to have patients from South Tipperary going to Kilkenny and North Tipperary going to Ennis. So I see this as an opportunity to again push the case for the reopening of beds at St Michael’s – we now have a situation where the unit has been refurbished and upgraded.”