Laois health centre akin to sardines in a tin
Mountrath Health Centre
MOUNTRATH is in desperate need of an updated health centre, with upwards of a dozen staff and even more patients packed into what is effectively an extended house at the side of the Link Road.
The issue of the health centre not being fit for purpose is one which has recurred time and time again in the past decade as a point of contention at municipal district meetings, with similar problems being mirrored across several other health centres in Laois, including Rathdowney.
The renewed plea was delivered to the recent meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory municipal district by Cllr James Kelly, who said: "The health centre is totally inadequate. Doctors and staff are caring for the community in Third World facilities. There could be up to 14 staff working in what is a small bungalow in the centre of town. Not only the staff but also the patients that are coming into the centre that have to be cared for."
Cllr Kelly chronicled how the HSE, back in 2021, promised that there would be a new primary care centre established in Durrow, with €340,000 initially directed towards it before an additional €250.000 thousand was also allocated. Three different sights were examined, but then it was deemed that none of them were suitable, "so, you know, we are waiting that long and I'm sure you've heard the term doctors dither and patients suffer, well, at the moment the HSE are dithering and patients are suffering, so that's why I'm pleading that the HSE take this on board."
Other councillors who supported Cllr Kelly’s motion underscored the urgent need for an update on the centre, given the population of Laois is continuing to grow rapidly.
