RESIDENTS of Roslea are continuing their campaign to have GP services returned to the village, and have even identified a potential site for a new surgery.
Roslea GP surgery closed in early 2017, following the retirement of Dr Donal Collins, leaving the border village without a doctor for the first time in 170 years. This has meant residents now have to make a 35-mile round trip to Maple Healthcare in Lisnaskea to see a GP. The health centre now has over 14,000 patients on its books, as a result of the Roslea and other surgery closures.
Ever since the surgery shut, residents in the village have been campaigning to have the service returned, forming the Save Our Surgery Roslea (SOS).
That campaign is continuing, and in May this year a delegation from the SOS group travelled to Carnlough in Co Antrim where they met with a number of people, including a Dr McSparren and Sammy Wilson MP.
More recently, on August 20th, the group met with Western Trust chief executive, Neil Guckian, at Altnagelvin Hospital, and on August 23rd they met with local MLA Deborah Erskine, with further meetings planned.
“We know that Deborah has a positive approach to these issues,” said SOS chairman John McCluskey.
“The SOS Group has been holding meetings with a number of people recently in our continuous campaign to have proper medical facilities restored to the people of Roslea,” said Mr McCluskey.
“Our latest survey shows people of Roslea are suffering whilst other areas like Dromore Trillick and Portadown are seemingly being given preferential treatment over them.”
Mr McCluskey was referring to the fact that the Dromore and Trillick GP, which was also facing closure due to the departure of its doctor, had been taken over temporarily by the Western Trust, until a new GP could be found for the practice.
Regarding Roslea, the former councillor said the SOS group had identified a potential premises where a new GP surgery could be located, at the site of St Eugene’s College, which also closed in 2017. He said the site had good parking, and would be well suited for a new surgery.
“The people of Roslea believe that not all doctors are refusing to work in Roslea,” said Mr McCluskey.
“One of the many questions must be what incentives are being offered to GPs to work there? These are some of the questions which we will be asking our MLAs and others when we meet with them in the near future.”
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