A Sligo/Leitrim TD has called on the Government to provide a fund worth €190 million to help keep the doors open in private and voluntary nursing homes.
Deputy Marian Harkin says that HSE run nursing homes receive an additional €600 more per patient per week, according to recent reports.
The Independent TD says that a 40-bed private or voluntary nursing home would get €1.25m per year less than an equivalent HSE-run home.
She also says that over the past 3 years, 31 private and voluntary nursing homes have closed their doors, with 19 of those closures occurring in the past 12 months.
Deputy Harkin has been giving more details to Midwest Radio's Alannah Nolan....
