The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Rathmore committee to request more info on new GP service
AN Action Plan Committee have met to discuss the ongoing GP crisis in Rathmore where it was decided more clarification is needed on the new GP plan set to commence from October 2 that will result in a doctor’s service in Rathmore three days a week.
Rathmore, Gneeveguilla, Knocknagree and Shrone, are without a full-time GP service for nearly two years with people travelling to Millstreet to see a doctor. However, the Action Plan Committee are pressing ahead with their request for a full-time GP service to be restored to the town.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Marie Lenihan said towns and villages around Rathmore have a full-time GP service - and in some cases two - and that no official clarification has been received about the new arrangement. It was decided at the meeting to write to Dr Walsh McCarthy – a GP based in Millstreet – for more clarification.
“We request a meeting as soon as possible with Dr Walsh McCarthy and if we don’t get that meeting we will have to revert to the HSE,” said Marie Lenihan.
“At the moment all we’re hearing is people talking about the current service offered but we, as yet, have heard no definitive strategy as to what this service will develop into in the future. Is it to develop into a full-time GP service? Or is it to remain a part-time one? That’s what we need to know. It was promised that it would be full-time and that’s what the people of Rathmore need,” she added.
Planning permission was recently granted for a Doctor’s Surgery in the town and Rathmore Community Council have agreed to assist Dr Walsh McCarthy in building her practice and keeping the community vibrant but insist on more than the service currently offered.
Meanwhile, Cllr Niall Kelleher said that while the extra hours were a step in a positive direction, it’s only ‘a token’ service to people who have been without a GP service for close on two years, while Deputy Danny Healy Rae described the new service as ‘good news’ for the area and welcomed the increased presence of a GP for Rathmore.