Dementia Day Care Centre could still open this September – Cortes

The Gibraltar Government expects to make an announcement within days regarding who the contract for the new Dementia Day Care Centre has been awarded to.

Health Minister Dr John Cortes told Parliament on Thursday that he would not discount the possibility of opening the centre during the month of September and outlined plans to open at least part of the facility in the last week of September.

This comes after GSD MP Roy Clinton tabled a number of questions in Parliament seeking an update on the facility and to whom the contract has been awarded to.

When informed that the contract has yet to be awarded, Mr Clinton highlighted comments previously made by Dr Cortes that he expected the centre to be open in September – that being World Alzheimer’s Month.

“It would be wonderful to open the centre this month to coincide with the awareness month, for which the Government will be contributing and working with the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society in promoting awareness.”

“However, we cannot have opening dates dictated by whoever sets the international diary for special months,” he added.

Progress, Dr Cortes continued, had also been made with respects to equipping the centre, recruitment is underway for specialist positions, works on the grounds are being undertaken and security is in place.

“I would rather open a place safely than keep to a particular date because it happens to be a date in which there is an awareness day,” Dr Cortes said.

“I think we have to be careful that we do it properly, we will have a wonderful centre there; we’ve got a very hard-working team getting it ready, it is almost there hopefully we will make it in September if not it will be sad but I think the final product will be worth the wait.”