TD: Injection centre would save lives
A Cork TD has called for the immediate establishment of a supervised drug injection centre in Cork city.
Labour Party TD for Cork North-Central Eoghan Kenny warned continued Government inaction is putting Cork lives directly at risk.
Speaking in response to evidence emerging from Ireland’s first pilot supervised injecting facility in Dublin, he said it is indisputable that these facilities work. “The evidence is clear; supervised injection centres save lives.
“The delay in establishing a centre in Cork is deeply frustrating. Government can no longer bury its head in the sand while people continue to suffer.”
The Merchant’s Quay Injection Centre in Dublin city opened in December 2024 and is to be evaluated by the Department of Health over an 18 month period.
His comments came following Minister for Higher Education James Lawless TD’s appearance on RTÉ’s 'Upfront with Katie Hannon' on Monday where he suggested that a supervised injection centre could open in Cork before next summer.
Minister Lawless appeared on the show in place of Minister of State at the Department of Health, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor TD, who was unavailable.
The episode featured Cork mother Christine Kavanagh who lost three sons in less than ten years, two of whom died of heroin overdoses.
Asked if an injection centre will be opened in Cork, Minister Lawless said: “I think it will.”
He added: “The legislation was put through a couple of years ago to allow these centres to be created. There is a legal procedure in terms of a license being granted, conditions being attached to it, a tendering process.
“The statistics from Merchant’s Quay, and indeed from other centres internationally, are that we have services in one place, we don’t have overdoses; we have people using the substances in a safe, contained environment, moving off the streets into somewhere where they’re protected.
“The statistics tell us that there are practically no overdoses in those environments.”
He said the next step is to open centres in communities across the country where it is seen as most appropriate, with Cork likely to see a centre opened “sooner” than June 2026.
Statistics indicate Ireland currently has the highest rate of drug fatalities in the EU with 97 drug deaths per million citizens. The number of drug poisoning deaths in Cork has doubled in the past decade, marking the highest increase in the country in that period.
Deputy Kenny concluded: “In the face of a public health crisis, we need bold and practical solutions. It’s time for a proactive and urgent response to ensure the well-being of our communities and provide the support that individuals struggling with addiction truly deserve.”