After a lifetime of treatment in a GP practice magherafeltpatients bid farewell to Fairhill Medical Practice on Thursday.

More than 2,300 patients are being transported to surrounding operating rooms After the Ministry of Health was unable to find a new contract for the facility.

Letters had been issued throughout the week informing patients where they had been assigned, prompting other doctors to worry about patient safety.

The president of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, Dr. Alan Stout said: “This is the worst possible outcome for patients, local practices and the department.

“Compulsory allocation only occurs when there is absolutely no other solution; One practice says they can’t safely admit more patients, but they have to anyway. “We have been warning for years,” he said.

Joanne Wright, 51, said she had been a patient at Fairhill for 32 years.

“I am heartbroken, it is sad that it has come to this. “I don’t think the situation was handled very well, it just happened,” he told The Irish News.

Kenny McMullan, 68, said his wife Yvonne, 63, had been going to Fairhill since she was a child.

“This surgery is all he has known his whole life and he is very sorry to have to move on from Fairhill to another surgery,” he said.

“There’s nothing we can really do about it but he’s been transferred to another local GP.

“I think one doctor has too much to do in this surgery.

“Dr Hunter (at Fairhill) looked after everyone, even during Covid he was available no matter what.”

Joyce Doris, 69, lives nearby in Coagh and said she was concerned about the pressure this would put on other surgeries.

“I honestly don’t know what they expect people from Magherfelt to do, I think it’s outrageous,” he said.

“This is a big town, I don’t know how other surgeries will adapt.

“I’m really shocked, the state of healthcare is so bad. “I didn’t even know they only gave people a few days notice.”

Another patient, Catherine (31), has been in the operating room for 25 years.

“I was very disappointed when I heard the service would be shutting down. We actually weren’t aware of this, I just learned about it from social media.

“We received our letters shortly after, so this will be a huge loss in the community.”

He was reassigned to an operating theater eight miles away in Draperstown.

“It’s an inconvenience because I’m from this town, so it’s quite far to travel,” he said.

“For many people who are vulnerable or have complex needs, this means a lot of travel unless they are assigned to another surgery in Magherafelt.

“Unfortunately we can’t apply to change our operating theater until after January 31, so we’ll have to make do.”

Another GP, formerly of Garden Street Surgery in Magherafelt, is Dr. John Diamond told the BBC that none of the other practices involved had received any information about patient transfers.

“No doctor’s office received a note, we only have a list of names,” he said.

“As of Friday, we have no idea whether any of these patients are in palliative care, whether they are at home, whether they have complex needs; we don’t know their medications.

“It’s very unsafe and we’re really disappointed with the board because they haven’t met local practices to try to do this in a safe and manageable way.”

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the applications were notified a week ago “As soon as possible” and patient lists were shared.

They added that officials have been in contact with practices this week to ensure “as smooth a transition as possible for both patients and practices”.

While they understood patients’ frustration, they said “all options have been explored and exhausted” to keep Fairhill open and that practices taking on extra patients would receive more funding.