photo: Campaigning outside the medical centre in Lahardane last October
There were great celebrations earlier today in Lahardane for the official opening of the Neiphin Medical Centre in the village.
Newly appointed GP Dr Amjed Ahmed was officially welcomed into his new practice, and the community came out in numbers to mark the occasion.
Last October the position of a permanent GP in the north Mayo village was vacant when the doctor that had been serving the area left the practice to take up a vacant position in Crossmolina, about 10kms away.
Despite the Lahardane GP position having been advertised by the HSE on two occasions, no replacement was secured.
The local community refused, however, to close the doors of the medical centre and continued to open it daily since, while local man Gerry Loftus of the Rural Ireland Organisation, and others, campaigned to secure a replacement GP.
They worked with local politicians and the HSE and managed to secure Dr Ahmed, who is now the permanent GP for the practice, a practice that had more than 1,100 patients on its books last October when the GP position was vacated.
There was music, song, teas, coffees, cakes, scones and buns, and balloons galore, at this morning’s official opening and welcoming, as the community came out to celebrate their success in securing their GP, Dr. Ahmed.
Midwest West News Editor Teresa O’Malley was there and spoke to Dr Ahmed about his new position in what looked like a very a welcoming new community...
Among the delighted local people Teresa spoke to was Gerry Loftus who had spearheaded the well supported local community campaign, that have achieved their goal...
Alan Jackson is a local family man who last October spoke to Midwest News about his concerns for the locality, with two primary schools, a population of every age group, and no GP in the village. This morning he spoke about the relief in securing Dr Ahmad in the local practice, while Donna Rowland was another campaigner, a young mother, who this morning had a medical appointment with Dr Ahmad and then joined in the celebrations and Gerry Rowland is the local auctioneer in Lahardane.
They all spoke to Teresa about the sense of relief achievement today ....
