Westport GP breaks silence and hits out at “mistruths” and “disrespectful remarks”

Dr Ita Mullaghy, the Westport GP at the centre of intense local and national attention in recent weeks, has issued a public statement explaining why she is closing her practice in the West Mayo town.

The story was broken by The Mayo News three weeks ago and this new intervention by Dr Mullaghy will be welcomed as it provides more clarity and context around how the GP practice came to be about to close and addresses local questions around the offer of alternative premises and the fate of private patients.

Dr Mullaghy, who has practised in Westport for 15 years, will continue to see patients until November 30. She said the closure followed official written notice in June that the owner intended to sell the premises and that she would have to vacate by early December.

“The closure of my practice was a very difficult decision to make, and I certainly did not make it lightly,” she said in a statement. “Despite every effort made by me engaging with auctioneers, the HSE, solicitors, and some local prominent business people, I was unable to find a suitable alternative premises from which to work from.”

She said her HSE contract required three months’ written notice, leaving her with “no alternative but to submit my resignation” because she had not secured premises from which to treat patients.

Offers of premises “too late”

After the issue became public, local business people, such as Owen Hughes, came forward with offers of premises. Dr Mullaghy thanked them but said the offers came too late. “The kind offers of premises which were made at a later stage were unfortunately too late for me, as my post had already been advertised, and I could not rescind my resignation,” she said.

She also addressed how patients were told. “In accordance with standard procedures in situations of this nature, all public and medical card patients are to be notified directly by the HSE, and private patients are notified by the GP,” she said. “I followed this procedure as per protocol advised.”

Dr Mullaghy was critical of some of the public commentary. “It’s very disappointing with the mistruths and unfortunate and disrespectful remarks which have been repeatedly issued on the matter, both on local and national broadcasting and other social media outlets,” she said.

Her statement did not clarify which mistruths she was referring to or which disrespectful remarks have been repeated.

She thanked her patients “for the loyalty, support, and kindness that they have shown me over the last number of years”. She also thanked fellow Mayo GPs who passed a motion of support for her at the recent Mayo GP faculty meeting in Ballina, chaired by Dr Pat Durcan.

Lawless welcomes clarity

Aontú TD Paul Lawless, who first raised the matter in the Dáil, welcomed the statement, saying it “brings much-needed clarity”. He thanked Dr Mullaghy for her 15 years of service and called her account “a shocking indictment of the system”.

“An established GP engaged with the HSE and still could not find somewhere to treat her patients,” he said. He added that when he raised the matter in the Dáil, the Minister for Health acknowledged she was unaware of the situation.

Deputy Lawless said continuity of care is vital for palliative patients being cared for at home, frail older people and those with serious mental health needs. He argued that securing and fitting out a new premises, including planning permission for change of use, fire safety and disability access certification, and HSE approval, “takes months, not weeks”.

He said that with six weeks left before Dr Mullaghy’s final day, no successor had been appointed and the HSE could not confirm whether any candidate had a place to practise from on 1 December. “The patients of Westport deserve continuity of care,” he said, calling for the HSE to introduce proper protocols so that a successor is in place before a GP leaves.