Retired Limerick GP praised for 'exemplary' medical standards

A RECENTLY-retired Limerick GP, who served Kileely for more than 25 years, has been commended for his medical standards and community involvement.

Dr Ray O’Connor, who was a community doctor in the city since 1990, will this week commence his role as adjunct senior clinical lecturer at the Graduate Entry Medical School, at UL. Dr O’Connor will teach GEMS undergraduates and students at the school of paramedics.

“I have always been interested in teaching, and the opportunity presented itself at the university to go teaching. UL is an inspiration, and it is great to see people coming from all over the world to be educated as doctors. And the campus is truly wonderful,” he said.

Dr O’Connor said that he hopes to continue volunteering for the community, adding that local groups, including Kileely Community Centre, do “fantastic work”.

The long-serving GP was commended by locals and by National Association of GPs president, Dr Emmet Kerin for his hard work.

Dr Kerin told the Leader: “Ray always practised exemplary high medicine, both from a business sense and a personal sense. He always practised the highest standards in medicine and was great for his community.”

Dr O’Connor operated an additional diabetes clinic, without extra HSE funding, in Kileely for the past 25 years, which he said achieved “great results”.

He added that the GP practice has changed greatly since becoming a qualified GP in the early 1980s. As well as the change to a “computerised and paperless” environment, local doctors are taking on “a lot of responsibility” when it comes to managing patients’ chronic conditions, and ensuring that prescribed drugs are working and not harming patients.