Injection centre for Cork 'could be sooner' than June 2026
A Government Minister has said a supervised injection centre could be open in Cork "sooner" than June 2026.
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless was responding to a plea from Christine Kavanagh, a mother from Cork. Three of her sons were addicted to drugs and in the space of four years all three were dead.
Ms Kavanagh spoke to Upfront in her first TV interview, calling on the Government to do more to help families like hers.
She recalled the circumstances of her son Leon's death as "desperate".
"He was found down the lane with heroin spoons, needles, everything," she told Upfront.
Ms Kavanagh said she wants to see a supervised injection centre in Cork to help people like her sons – where those addicted to drugs can inject illegal substances under the supervision of trained health professionals.
"They can go, they can inject, they can be supervised," she explained. "My children might have been saved if they were inside in a centre."
December 2024 saw the opening of Ireland's first medically supervised injection facility at Merchants Quay in Dublin on a pilot basis for a maximum period of 18 months.
The Department of Health said the project is being evaluated over the next 18-months and the findings "will inform decisions about the continuation of the Dublin facility and the development of new facilities in other regions".
Minister Lawless told Upfront he believes a centre for Cork could be opened sooner than that.
"The next step – and the Government's committed to this, it's in the Programme for Government – is that we will look at rolling these out into community settings around the country, where appropriate", he said.
Minister Lawless said the Government wants to take the findings from the Dublin pilot project "and see what's working and what needs to be tweaked and then continue that rollout".
He said he couldn't give a definite date, however an injection centre for Cork "could even be sooner" than June 2026.
"I do know the Government direction of travel is to support the centres. Let's take the evidence from [Merchants Quay], let's apply it around the country.
"I think it's very likely that Cork would be the natural next step."
Six-month checkpoint
Minister Lawless said an evaluation of Merchants Quay later this year will further inform decisions.
"There is a six-month checkpoint in September – there's another checkpoint at the end the year – so all of the valuable experience that came from this… will be applied to future centres," he said.
The Minister said all signs are that Merchants Quay is working.
"The evidence is really positive – everything I'm hearing about it and the statistics from Merchants Quay, and indeed from other centres internationally, are that [when] we have services in one place, we don't have overdoses.
Head of Operations with Merchants Quay Geoff Corcoran told the show it is a much safer option.
"There's been 59 overdoses in the centre since we opened in December," he said.
"And of those 59 overdoses, only one has involved calling an ambulance.
"People are coming in where otherwise they would be using in alleys, carparks, public spaces.
"Here, people are supervised and if they go into overdose we can manage that and deal with it".
'Health-led approach'
Minister Lawless admitted that the criminal justice model of dealing with drug addiction has failed.
"The health-led approach is the way to go in my strong opinion," he said.
"Moving from the criminal justice model has patently failed – the courts are clogged up, we're spending billions on policing justice procedures.
"We move into a health-led approach, we recognise the trauma in forming policy – we say why are people getting into addiction situations in the first place?
"We reduce the demand for drugs, we reduce the harm that they cause, and we try to pivot people back on track in their lives".
Figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index show there were 354 drug poisoning deaths recorded in 2021, 409 reported in 2020 - which were recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic - and 371 in 2019.
Head of Addiction Services at St John of God Hospital Prof Colin O'Hara asked Minister Lawless if he would consider declaring a COVID-style 'state of emergency' to tackle drug-deaths.
Minister Lawless did not rule out such a move but said the current plan should be kept in place.
"Everything's possible but let's take an evidence-based approach – we have a pilot up and running in Merchants Quay, we have a review in that in September," he said.
"We're making progress, I think we should keep going on that track".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish teens drinking and smoking less — but mental health concerns continue to rise
Teenagers in Ireland are smoking and drinking less than their peers did in 1998, but are struggling more with their mental health, according to an in-depth new report. More than 8,000 pupils from 191 schools — including fifth and sixth class in primary schools and up to fifth year in secondary — took part in the study. They answered questions about their mental health, diet, smoking and drinking habits, sexual behaviour, and relationships with parents. The report, titled Trends in Health Behaviours, Outcomes and Contexts: 1998–2022, has been conducted regularly since the late 1990s. It found a significant increase in the number of children who reported feeling low once a week or more over the previous six months. Other findings include a notable decline in tobacco use among children, as well as a drop in the number who reported having been drunk or having used cannabis in the past year. There was also a decrease in the proportion of young people aged 15–17 who said they had their first alcoholic drink at age 13 or younger. However, the study also identified a slight increase in the number of children trying to lose weight, either through dieting or other methods. Poverty was a recurring issue, highlighted by several indicators. Overall, 18.3% of children aged 10–17 reported going to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home—a slight increase from 2002, and more prevalent among girls. The rise in food insecurity was most noticeable among younger children and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. In 2022, fewer children reported spending evenings out with friends—just 28%, compared to 38% in 1998. This decline was more pronounced in lower-income groups. The number of children drinking soft drinks daily dropped sharply from 37.4% in 2002 to just 6.6% in 2022. Daily fruit consumption remained largely unchanged, while the percentage of children engaging in vigorous exercise declined slightly, from 52.6% to 50.3%. There was also a small decrease in the proportion of 15–17 year olds who reported having had sexual intercourse. However, condom use among this group dropped significantly, from 78% in 2010 to just 58% in 2022. The study was launched on Wednesday by Minister of State at the Department of Health, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor. She welcomed the report, saying it provides 'vital information regarding the health of our children, highlighting both positive trends, such as the reductions in tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use since 1998, but also the more concerning ones, such as many of the indicators relating to mental health and the pressures of schoolwork.' The research was led by Louise Lunney, in collaboration with the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) research team at the Health Promotion Research Centre at the University of Galway. Professor Saoirse Nic Gabhainn, Principal Investigator at the Centre, said over 70,000 children have participated in the surveys since 1998. 'While many indicators have improved over time, the pressures that children feel from school and society are increasing,' she warned. 'Now is the time for our society to support teachers and parents in schools and communities to protect and promote youth well-being.' Read More CHI cites legal advice in withholding report on children's care delays
Irish Post
13 hours ago
- Irish Post
Cross-border scheme allows NHS patients reimbursements for surgery in Ireland
IRISH people living in Britain impacted by Northern Ireland's spiralling hospital waiting lists may soon see relief under a new cross-border healthcare initiative. The scheme, which officially launched Monday, allows NHS patients who have been waiting over two years for non-urgent procedures to access private treatment in the Republic of Ireland and claim reimbursement. The initiative, backed by a £10 million fund, is part of a broader effort by Northern Ireland's Department of Health to reduce waiting times, which are currently the worst of anywhere in Britain. In the first phase, eligible patients can travel south for operations and be reimbursed up to the amount the procedure would cost the NHS in Northern Ireland. Future stages of the scheme are set to include treatment options across other EU countries, although no date has been confirmed for that expansion. "The second phase, allowing treatment in the wider EU, will move forward," a spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed, according to the BBC. "But how far the scheme can go will depend on the uptake during the initial rollout." The department is under a lot of financial pressure, grappling with a projected £600 million budget shortfall. This includes meeting rising healthcare demands and implementing long-overdue pay increases for frontline health workers. The reimbursement scheme is part of a wider £215 million action plan to tackle Northern Ireland's healthcare backlog. These include £85 million for urgent and critical cases, £80 million to build capacity within the system and £50 million to reduce the growing list of routine operations. One new approach includes 'mega clinics' aimed at treating around 20,000 patients currently waiting for procedures in ophthalmology, orthopaedics and general surgery. Operations such as hip and knee replacements, hernia repairs, and colonoscopies are among the priorities for clearing four-year-long delays. This cross-border initiative provides an opportunity for patients in Northern Ireland and Irish residents in Britain affected by similar delays to receive the care they need while alleviating pressure on the overburdened NHS. See More: Medical Care, Nhs, Northern Ireland, Waiting Lists
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Families criticise delays to inquiry into epilepsy drug valproate
Families have criticised inordinate delays to the opening of an inquiry into the prescribing of valproate to pregnant women for epilepsy. Families affected by the prescribing of sodium valproate, which can cause serious birth defects and development disorders, were told last year that the inquiry would begin "within weeks" but there is now no timeline of it starting. The Department of Health has blamed the delays on data protection issues, but Ciara McPhillips, solicitor for the patients' advocacy group OACS Ireland, said: 'It seems incredible that it is taking so long. In October 2023, when the Department of Health was seeking to appoint a chairperson they advised OACS in writing that they were already working on the necessary data protection framework. 'And yet here we are 20 months later and 12 months on from the appointment of a chair and the inquiry has not commenced because of data regulations.' Ms McPhillips, partner with Micheal Boylan LLP, said signing off on data regulations is the responsibility of the health minister. 'We now understand, on foot of recent parliamentary questions, and a direct email from the minister, the regulations are with an arm of the Attorney General's office and that they are being worked on,' she said. Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway Walsh will now raise the delay in the Dáil. 'I absolutely share the frustrations,' she said. 'There is no explanation whatsoever for why it should take this long. It is really just putting the parents through more excruciating anxiety and pain, and these parents have suffered enough already.' Debbie Adams, whose two daughters, aged 13 and 11, live with Fetal Valproate Syndrome said: 'I've no faith in the system. 'This should not have happened. This has changed the trajectory of our family's life.' A department spokeswoman said regulations under the Data Protection Act 2018 are required to give a robust legal basis to the inquiry, including for data protection. The statutory instruments are being drafted 'as a priority', she said. 'When these have been finalised, it is anticipated that the public facing elements of the inquiry will commence shortly thereafter,' she said.
