Funding should be provided to the Foyle Hospice on the same basis as other hospice facilities in the North, according Derry MLA Maeve McLaughlin.
Ms McLaughlin, the chairperson of the Stormont Health Committee, said the pressures under which Foyle Hospice had to operate under were unacceptable and needed to be addressed.
The Sinn Fein MLA said other hospices across the North were funded 50% for inpatient care compared to 25-20% at Foyle Hospice.
She added: “The Foyle Hospice must be brought into line with the allocations given to other areas.
“The Compton Review highlighted the importance of palliative and end of life care being an important service and the need to move towards a community care model where it could be more appropriately delivered.”
Ms McLaughlin said while there was tremendous community support for Foyle Hospice in the North West in the present economic climate even worthwhile causes such as the Hospice was experiencing a severe drop in donations.
She added: “I am calling on the Department of Health to correct the imbalance in funding between Foyle Hospice and other facilities in what is clearly a discrimatory practice. Statutory funding provision for the Foyle Hospice has been consistently low and while it this should never have been the case it certainly is not acceptable in present economic conditions when dependence on voluntary contributions from the public no longer an option.
“The Health Minister, Edwin Poots visited Foyle Hospice in March last year and seen at first hand the quality of the care provided to this City and District by the dedicated management and staff of Foyle Hospice.
“The remarkable staff who work at Foyle Hospice are to be commended for all that they do, going far beyond the call of duty. The Minister witnessed at first hand all the caring quality service provided by Foyle Hospice, he needs to ensure that it is treated on an equal basis financially as other Hospice and given the same allocation of funding available to other Hospice across the North.
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