A Waterford TD says dying people don't have time to wait for the new South East Palliative Care Centre to open.
The long-awaited 20-bed facility on the grounds of University Hospital Waterford was handed over to the HSE in April.
However, recruitment has not begun as the HSE is yet to allocate a budget to hire staff.
Fianna Fail's Mary Butler and Sinn Fein's David Cullinane raised the matter during Order of Business during the opening day of the new Dáil term.
Deputy Butler told the house that "for the past 20 years the people of Waterford and the south-east have engaged in massive fundraising to endorse €6 million towards this project".
"Unfortunately, the opening of the new hospice for the south-east will be delayed until next year as the HSE has to allocate a budget to hire staff.
"This information came in reply to a question from Deputy Cullinane earlier in the year. The reply stated that staffing would happen when the budget was allocated.
"Once again, people are waiting and, unfortunately, they do not have time to wait when they are dying."
Deputy Cullinane says the hospice is vital to the people of Waterford and spoke about his own family's experience.
"My mam passed away this year in a palliative care unit in Harold's Cross in Dublin.
"Many people in the south-east would want to be able to have their loved ones as close as possible when suffering from something.
"It is very important to the people of Waterford. How have we ended up with a building having been built, kitted out and provided with capital funding, yet it does not have the funding to recruit staff?
" Will the Minister commit to doing that as soon as possible so that we can open this as soon as we can?"
Minister for Health Simon Harris says he wants to get the hospice up and running.
"We intend to open three new palliative care facilities: the one the Deputy referred to in Waterford, one in Mayo, which the Minister, Deputy Ring, has communicated with me about, and one in Wicklow.
"I take the Deputies' points. The facility is there and we need to open it as quickly as possible.
"I hope that we can progress it this year. In the spirit in which we worked on other issues, I suggest that I meet the Oireachtas Members from Waterford next week, along with HSE officials, and we will see if we can move forward on it."
