Mental Health advocates have condemned the announcement that €12million of the €35 million increase allocated to mental health services will now spent elsewhere.
Yesterday, the Health Minister Leo Varadkar confirmed the changes but said the full €35million allocation will be restored in 2017.
The funds will instead be used this year for vaccines and other areas of care for the elderly.
He insisted that mental health services will still be funded to the tune of almost €792million this year.
Conor Cusack is an ambassador for Mental Health, he says that the lack of funding is leading to more suicides in this country.
"Back in 2010, Waterford and Wexford mental health services combined, and all the mental health services went to Wexford.
"The following year, the rate of suicide doubled in Wexford. And I think nothing captures more graphically the investment in this sector, or the lack of investment, is leading to the deaths of our people unecessarily at this moment in time."
