Ógra Fianna Fáil central office board member and Glenties man Ian Molloy is calling on the government to dramatically increase the amount of funding allocated to youth mental services.
He said “At the minute just 6% of the total health budget is going on mental health and it’s incredible that the Minister with responsibility for mental health didn’t know how much was allocated to youth and adolescents services.
On a recently RTE programme focusing on the issue, parents and family members opened up about their experiences of trying to access the services.
Many of these parents found significant road-blocks and long waiting lists.
“In some parts of the country the waiting list is 18 months which in my view is a national scandal and little help to a family with a young person in crisis right now.
“I was deeply moved by the RTE programme which highlighted the need for new staff and increase funding to cope with the thousands of children waiting to see a specialist.
“I believe the time is long past for the Government to act on this, the lip service must end now because this is literally a life and death issue.”
