Fine Gael TD for Roscommon/South Leitrim, Frank Feighan, has welcomed HSE West's express commitment to help develop a €7 million Palliative Care Centre at Roscommon County Hospital.

Mr Feighan said: "The HSE West's service plan for 2013 expressly commits to continue working with Mayo/Roscommon Hospice on this much-needed €7 million capital project, which will be located on the grounds of Roscommon Hospital.

"The 12,000 square foot centre will not just provide for an eight bed inpatient centre but will also house a palliative day-care service, family support and bereavement services, and will also serve as a base from which the existing community palliative home care team will operate.

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"This will be a state-of-the-art development which, significantly, will finally address the critical lack of an in-patient hospice/palliative care facility in County Roscommon.

"The lack of such a facility until now in the county has regrettably led to crisis admissions to acute hospitals or long journeys to other in-patient hospice facilities in Galway or Dublin. This new Roscommon Hospice Centre will now enable local patients with life-limiting illnesses to access expert in-patient help locally.

"We must also remember that County Roscommon has also the oldest population in the country and, with the growing demand for palliative care services, this development could not be more timely."

(CD/GK)