A Derry councillor has said the situation surrounding GP appointments in the city has become 'extremely worrying' ahead of the winter.
Aontú Cllr, Emmet Doyle, said that he was "constantly" speaking to residents who are ringing GP services dozens of times a day to get an appointment.
The comments come ahead of a special meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council on September 22 where members will discuss the ongoing crisis.
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Speaking to MyDerry , Cllr Doyle said: “There is no doubt that GPs are very busy. However, I am constantly speaking to residents who are ringing up to 70 times a day to get an appointment to see a doctor and still not getting through.
"A decision has to have been made somewhere in the system that has led to this crisis - getting an appointment has never been so difficult.
"I am genuinely worried that people who have or may be developing serious health conditions aren’t being seen. For those who are in that position, A&E is being clogged up which to me makes no sense.”
Meanwhile, last month it emerged that a Derry woman in need of medical attention called a GPs surgery over 100 times without getting through to a reception desk .
GP Alan Stout, Chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland general practitioners committee, said that colleagues were trying to deliver services "under unprecedented pressure".
He said: "This is a problem that pre-dates the pandemic and one BMA has warned about for many years. There are now fewer practices across Northern Ireland, yet they are having to deal with more patients with more complex needs.
“Despite the narrative that practices have ‘closed’, GPs are working harder than ever to meet the needs of their patients as best they can.
"We urgently need to stabilise general practice or we will continue to see more staff choosing to leave the profession and further GP practice closures."
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