It is now over two years since the village’s surgery shut, leaving the area without a doctor for the first time in 170 years. Since 2017 patients have been forced to make the 35 mile round trip to Lisnaskea to see a GP. 

While the issue in Roslea was that the local GP had retired, with no one willing to replace him, in more recent times the search had been on to find a location in the area for out-reach services from Maple Practice, possible one or two days a week. At a Pathfinder meeting in the Roslea Community Centre in February, Western Trust chiefs agreed to consider a proposal by local campaigner John McCluskey to have a mobile service, akin to a mobile library, in the village. 

Now, an apparent knight-in-shining armour has come forward and offered the Trust the use of the former surgery building. Having been sold, the new owner of the building has written to the Trust and Maple Practice offering it for lease.

Mr McCluskey, who has been spearheading the fight to save the Roslea service, said the offer was “a major development” in the saga, and local people were very excited.

“This is significant progress,” he said, adding there was precedent for a Trust taking over GP services in Portadown.  

“The Western Trust must now stick to their promises,” Mr McCluskey continued. “They were talking about a mobile surgery, but this is even better. We hope they don’t break their promise on that.”

He called on the Trust not to let the people of Roslea down, and to deliver particularly for the vulnerable in the area, such as children and older people. 

“There elderly people struggling along on aluminium frames throughout the town. These people cannot make their way to Lisnaskea. It’s abusive and it’s absolutely wrong and it has to end now with this offer,” he said. 

“It’s up to them now to make a move. The people of Roslea have been waiting too long. 

When contacted by the Herald, the Trust reiterated the commitment it made at the Roslea Pathfinder meeting to find a solution to the issue. 

Deputy chief executive, and Pathfinder lead, Kieran Downey, said: “The Pathfinder project is committed to working in partnerships with all key stakeholders and in recent weeks has met with the Health and Social Care Board and of course Maple Practice in Lisnaskea.

 ”Pathfinder will continue to work to encourage the development of the best possible services and solutions and within the context of what is possible and sustainable.”