Petition grows in opposition to closure of village surgery
About 500 people have signed a petition calling for a village doctors' surgery to be saved.
The St Martin's Surgery is a branch of the Chirk GP Medical Practice and has always been well used by residents.
It was closed on a temporary basis by Chirk doctors at the start of the pandemic in March last year with patients having to travel across the England/Wales border for treatment.
Now the medical practice is asking the Betsi Cadwalladr Heath Board to agree an application to close it permanently.
A paper petition with 375 names on it, led by villager Vivienne Fisher, has already been handed in calling for the the St Martin's Surgery to remain open.
There is also an electronic petition which currently contains 115 names. Patients can make comments direct to the North Wales Community Health Council the independent health watchdog.
Vivienne said: "We have until June 25 to respond to the letter from Chirk medical practice called for closure."
She urged everyone to sign the electronic petition or write to or email those looking at the application.
Villagers who have signed the petition have pointed out that miners at the Ifton pit paid for the surgery to be build, putting an amount out of their wages every week to fund it.
Population
They say St Martin's is a rapidly growing village with a large number of elderly residents and young families.
There are 600 new homes being built or in the pipeline for St Martin's.
Many have pointed out that the bus to Chirk runs once an hour and only services the Chirk side of the village, not the Ellesmere/Overton side.
That bus costs £4 while the cost of a taxi is £8.
Anyone who wants to protest can do so before June 25 by going online at petitions.net/save_stmartins_surgery.
A spokesman for the surgery said: "We do not have an alternative arrangement that would enable us to provide a safe and appropriate standard of care in St Martin's. Whilst we have enjoyed a long history in St Martin's, the building itself is in great need of internal renovation and we very much wish to continue to offer high quality services but in a safe and sustainable way."
"We understand this may be potentially upsetting and worrying for our patients."
