A PUBLIC meeting is to be held on Thursday night after the future of a GP surgery in Ardoyne was thrown into doubt.
This week, it was revealed that Flax Medical Centre in Ardoyne handed back its contract to the Department of Health. It means that unless a new GP is secured the practice, which provides health care for over 3,000 patients, will close on December 31. The practice is situated in the Flax Centre after it was established by Dr Tan in the early 1990s and is now led by Dr Monaghan.
A public meeting on the future of the GP service in Ardoyne will be held on Thursday night at 7pm in Flax Medical Centre.
Elaine Burns, from Ardoyne Association, says local people are ready to fight to maintain a GP service for the area.
"There is the potential that 3,000 patients will be without a GP service after December 31 if no one else takes up the contract," she explained. "One of my biggest concerns from the Trust is that their advertisement for a new GP says there is no facility, which is not true.
"The Flax Centre is getting redeveloped but there is a grand new GP centre built with other shopping units at the new apartments on the St Gemma’s site. The people of Ardoyne and the Bone cannot be left without a GP service.
"If you look at the health statistics for the area, people in Ardoyne die ten years younger than people who live in Cavehill. We have the highest rates of mental health and suicide.
"We will be fighting and standing with the people. The people had to fight 30 years to get a GP service in the first place and they will not be lying down.
"There is also the employment side of things. Many women who work in the current GP are local. The Trust must do all they can to ensure a GP service for the people of Ardoyne."
North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said he is pressing for urgent action to maintain the service.
“Fears that GP services will end in December are very worrying for the whole Ardoyne community and we are pressing for urgent action," he said. “Sinn Féin have met with GP representatives and have written to the Department of Health who have responsibility for GP services in recent months to raise our concerns over any loss of provision.
“We have also raised this latest news of GP services withdrawing from Ardoyne with the health authorities. This news comes only months after GP services being withdrawn from The Grove Health and Wellbeing Centre and would be a huge blow to a community suffering from systemic health inequalities.
“The Ardoyne community need access to a GP practice and every effort must be made to ensure this service is maintained."
People Before Profit councillor Fiona Ferguson added: "As another community in North Belfast faces the closure of a GP surgery, urgent action must be taken to ensure services are not lost for thousands of people in Ardoyne.
"Health disparities and inequalities in communities like Ardoyne are a hard reality so the loss of a GP service could be felt more sharply. The Trust must act urgently to replace this service by finding a suitable GP."
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