THE NUMBER of GPs in Fermanagh has shrunk by 30 percent over the past eight years, while local patients have to travel significantly further for GP treatment people living anywhere else in the North.
That’s according to the General Medical Services for Northern Ireland’s annual statistical report, which was published last week.
However, while the above statistics will shock few locally, somewhat more surprisingly the same figures have also revealed the county apparently still has more general practitioners per person than several other areas of the North.
According to the report, only two local government districts (LGDs) managed to maintain the same number of GPs in their area since 2014, while the biggest proportionate decrease in GPs was in the Fermanagh and Omagh area, which saw a drop of 30 percent.
In 2014, there were 27 GP practices in the Fermanagh and Omagh area, and the average size of the patient lists at these practices was 4,497, the lowest of any area in the North.
As of this year, there are now 19 practices in the area, which have an average patient list of 6,501, the fifth highest average in the North.
To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link https://bit.ly/3gOl8G0
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