“TREMENDOUS pressure” will be placed on the Accident and Emergency Department at the South West Acute Hospital and the Ambulance Service this winter as a result of the ongoing crisis in GP provision in Fermanagh, a local Councillor has warned.

Sinn Fein’s Thomas O’Reilly told the monthly meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council that they would be facing a “dire situation” later this year and said that it was worth flagging up the issue now rather than waiting any longer.

Members were discussing a letter received by the Council from the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) relating to the closure of Rosslea GP Surgery and the transfer of patients to the Maple Healthcare practice in Lisnaskea.

In the letter, HSCB Chief Executive, Valerie Watts, revealed that, to date, one person had availed of a minibus service that was running between Rosslea and Maple Healthcare.

The Chief Executive stated that GP practices were experiencing “significant workforce/recruitment issues” across Northern Ireland.

She added: “The issue is particularly acute in the Fermanagh locality.”

Criticising the HSCB response, Mr. O’Reilly said the minibus had to be booked two days in advance, adding: “And they wonder why people don’t use it.”

While praising Maple Healthcare for taking on the extra patients, the Sinn Fein Councillor said that the HSCB needed to provide more resources to help them cope with the extra demand.

Mr. O’Reilly said that the phone lines at the Lisnaskea surgery were “inadequate”, there were issues with parking and patients were not able to see the same doctor on each visit.

The Erne East representative said that patients were not getting appointments and that, come the winter, the Accident and Emergency Department and the Ambulance Service would be under “tremendous pressure” as a result.

Mr. O’Reilly proposed that the Council write to the Ambulance Service to find out what sort of cover would be available in Fermanagh this winter.

His proposal was seconded by party colleague, Barry Doherty.

Meanwhile, around 100 people crowded into Rosslea Community Centre last Thursday evening for a meeting organised by the Rosslea Save Our Surgery campaign group.

Chairman John McCluskey said the campaign group will “go to any lengths to get our surgery re-opened.”

Speakers from Unite the Community Union advised those in attendance on how best to run a campaign.

Unite’s regional organiser Kevin McAdam said: “Whether we like it or not we need the support of all our elected representatives.”

He suggested that the campaign group hold many more meetings and “demand that the politicians appear in front of them".

He said: “It is up to the people to put forward a reasoned and consistent argument of what the people want and that is a proper working GP surgery in Rosslea … and say clearly that a shiny new state of the art surgery in Lisnaskea won’t do it.”

Unite representative Donal O’Cofaigh advised locals not to use what he termed the “fake GP on a computer screen” available in the local chemist and suggested that this would be “used against the campaign to say that Rosslea now had a ‘service’ and were happy with it.”

Mr. McCluskey commented: “The information received at this meeting will be central to our strategy on the way forward. There is a need for a county wide committee to address this major issue of GPs closing in Fermanagh.”