North-east villagers fear a GP surgery closed 10 months ago on a “temporary” basis will remain shut for good.
NHS Grampian chiefs have admitted no timescale has been fixed for reopening the premises in the coastal community of Gardenstown.
The surgery has been closed since September, when the departure of doctors and staff illness forced patients to make their own arrangements to visit practices in neighbouring towns.
Despite commitments 10 months ago that the closure would only be “short-term”, fears have now been raised that the practice may never return.
Ron Beaty, a member of the village’s community council, said it was “unlikely” the situation would change for residents.
“NHS Grampian has never said it will close the surgery, but I think the way things are going it is obvious it will close,” he added.
“The excuse has always been a lack of doctors. Personally, I can’t see that changing and I don’t think it’ll ever open again.
“It’s shocking, but what do we do? We live close to the oil capital of Europe and we’ve got surgeries closing. It’s disastrous for the village, because people now have a 14-mile round-trip for a doctor.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said that since the closure the practice had merged with a surgery in Macduff.
“We appreciate the inconvenience this closure is causing people in Gardenstown and we thank them for their patience and understanding,” she added.
“Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership are working closely with the practice to come up with a sustainable, long-term solution for Gardenstown residents.
“A medication delivery service is available in Gardenstown to minimise disruption. Patients can collect their medicines from the practice premises.
“Patients continue to be signposted to transport options which make their journey to appointments easier and sessions have been rearranged to fit in with existing timetables.”
A local bus service now also makes stops in Macduff to ferry patients to appointments.
