Akel on Wednesday urged the government to fill the gap in care available to adults with special needs.

The call was made by the party’s general secretary Stephanos Stephanou after visiting the day care centre for disabled adults of the communities in the Morphou area that is located in Peristerona.

He said there was a large deficit in the care of adults with special care, especially from the age of 21 onwards, stressing that the state should cover this gap and support such centres.

The operation of the Peristerona facility should show the way forward, offering individuals and their families an outlet given the fact there were a very real need for support.

“It is genuinely a pity that a significant part of this is left to be covered by parents, families and other relatives who must run around all day to secure the most basic requirements,” he said.

The state must create more facilities and give additional means so as to cover the needs of disabled adults in a satisfactory way, he added.

Akel has drawn up proposals for consideration in parliament and which it is discussing with associations and organisations. His visit to the specific centre aimed to draw attention to what is needed, the actions which are taken and the work of the Peristerona facility, Stephanou said.

He praised the communities of the area for their initiative which he hailed as “pioneering”.

And he added: “It is also indicative of the important role that local government can play in covering social and other needs, with the corresponding support of the state which is necessary.”

Local government should not be left to shoulder the responsibilities of the state and be obliged to run around to cover needs, he said.

Stephanou also handed over what he described as a “small, modest contribution from Akel as a sign of support and recognition of the work being done by the centre.”

Astromeritis community leader Aris Constantinou thanked the Akel leader for his interest in the centre which was set up by local government with the support of parents for people over 21 for whom there are no facilities in which to live.

The initiative taken on by the complex of communities was a large one, and perhaps this was the only complex to have launched such an endeavour, he said.

“We were not deterred. But the state must provide more financial support for such centres,” he concluded.

Having to organise events so that parents can raise funds for the facility was a large endeavour and perhaps with pressure from Akel on the government, help may be given, he concluded.

The president of the parents association thanked Stephanou, noting that the centre was crucial for the disabled adults, particularly once their parents die.