Galway Bay fm newsroom - There's relief for residents in Carraroe as the HSE has confirmed that a new GP will take up office next week.
It's after a doctor earmarked to replace local GP Dr Mary Feerick unexpectedly declined the position - leading to fears up to 1, 000 people could be left without cover from Friday.
Local GP in Carraroe, Dr. Mary Feerick, is retiring on Friday - and until now, residents in Carraroe were left in the lurch as to what cover would be available to them.
A replacement had been selected for the position by the HSE following an interview process - but unexpectedly decided to decline the position.
However, the HSE has now confirmed there will be no gaps in the GP service as it has secured a doctor who will start in the position from Monday.
Dr. Imtiaz Ali will initially be employed from the 7th of August to the 6th of November and will also offer an on-call rota during that time.
This means he'll provide a normal Monday to Friday service - but will also be available out of hours and on weekends if required.
The HSE says it will write to medical card holders this week to inform them of the arrangements and that they will be automatically transferred to Dr Ali's panel.
