IT/331

Cost of tragedy mounts

MEDICAL cost for treating hundreds of injured survivors of the Omagh bombing have reached almost £2.5 million, it was revealed last night.
And health chiefs have warned that "significant" spending will be needed to meet the long-term needs of those recovering from the blast on August 15, which killed 29 people and injured 220.
Sperrin and Lakeland Health and Social Care Trust chief officer Hugh Mills said the cost for health and social services across Northern Ireland was estimated at just under £2.5 million for the short to medium-term requirements.
Speaking at the trust's annual meeting in Omagh Mr Mills said: "We are still preparing the implications for the longer term, and expect these to be significant as some of the injured will require comprehensive packages of care in their own homes for many months and possibly, years."
He disclosed that 14 of those caught up in the explosion remained in hospital, including two critically ill patients and one in a "serious" condition.
Extra physiotherapy and occupational therapy facilities were already in place to provide "the necessary rehabilitation of the injured as they returned to our community", Mr Mills told the meeting.
He said the trust had sent Secretary of State Mo Mowlam its recovery plan -at her request - outlining and costing the medical and psychological needs of the community in the aftermath of the bombing.
The Omagh Fund yesterday appointed five trustees to administer spending of money raised after the tragedy. The fund is expected to raise at least £3 million.