Methven residents have been urged to attend a meeting with their local GP team as plans to close their village surgery gather pace.
It comes after a session with doctors last week attracted a lower-than-expected attendance.
Methven Community Council member Sarah Fergusson said some villagers may have thought there was nothing they can do to stop the move now.
But she insisted: “It’s not a done deal.”
Bosses at the Victoria Practice are consulting the Methven community on a proposal to shut the village branch surgery and move all of its services into Perth.
The closing date for comments is September 4.
Sarah said only a handful of residents turned up for a meeting with GPs last week. But organisers said those who did attend made excellent points.
She said the next session, at the Methven surgery in Retinue Row on August 31, would be one of the last chances for locals to have their say before the consultation closes.
“There are still things that can be done, different ways of working,” she said.
“If people have suggestions, this is the time to raise them.”
Methven GP surgery previously declared safe
Patients registered with the Methven surgery were alerted to the proposed changes earlier this month.
The village currently has a small branch surgery operated by the Victoria Practice.
The plan is to transfer all services to the practice’s main premises in Glover Street, Perth.
It will leave Methven residents facing a 12-mile round trip to see a doctor.
And it comes four years after residents were assured there were no plans to close the village surgery.
Sarah said villagers had been far from silent on the matter.
A large number have returned consultation forms. But the meeting will be an opportunity to talk to doctors and to make their views know face-to-face.
“The practice itself is keen to keep going,” she said.
“But they have to look at their own staff wellbeing. And there are safety issues too – for instance around having lone female GPs in the surgery.
“It all comes back to GP shortages. And that’s a national problem, not a Methven problem.”
A letter and frequently asked questions document has been sent by the practice to all patients who have attended the Methven branch surgery over the past five years.
Comment boxes have also been placed at a number of locations so people can give feedback between now and September 4.
Thursday’s meeting will run from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.
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