Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise with the Taoiseach again the closure of the Keltoi rehabilitation unit at St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park. As the Taoiseach will be aware, this has been raised consistently by Members of the Oireachtas over the past two years and, indeed, by people working in addiction services, locally and nationally. Currently, the facility is closed and is hosting a social inclusion Covid isolation facility. I want to urge that the facility in question be moved elsewhere and that the service be reopened as a matter of urgency.

As the Taoiseach will be aware, there is an ongoing under-provision of drug rehabilitation beds. We know that one person dies as a result of addiction each day. Waiting times for residential care are very long, with people waiting months and sometimes, disgracefully, years.

Keltoi is the only trauma-informed facility of its kind in the State. It is the only residential rehabilitation facility run by the HSE. Its programme is gold standard. This is something that ought to be replicated, not hindered in any way. Its ongoing closure runs contrary to the HSE commitment to enhancing residential addiction services in the community healthcare organisation, CHO, of Dublin north city. I ask the Taoiseach give a commitment today to investigate this matter with the explicit purpose of securing a reopening date for Keltoi as soon as possible?

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