A North Kerry GP practice will remain temporarily closed until next Monday (January 17th).
The HSE has run an interim GP service in Ballyduff since September, pending the recruitment of a permanent GP.
The centre was closed for several days in December but was due to reopen with a locum GP on January 4th.
It will now remain closed until January 17th due to operational difficulties.
The HSE is apologising for any inconvenience this extended temporary closure may cause.
The Ballyduff GP practice had already been closed from December 13th to 17th and again from December 29th up to and including January 3rd.
It had been due to reopen on January 4th.
The HSE says routine GP services will now restart at the Ballyduff practice on January 17th.
It says this is an unforeseen and very regrettable delay in the re-commencement of the North Kerry GP service, adding despite extensive efforts, it cannot be avoided.
The HSE says it's in the process of arranging emergency cover for this time; arrangements for repeat prescriptions and social welfare certification are also being made where necessary.
Fine Gael councillor Aoife Thornton says the position has been advertised four times now, but she's hopeful it will be filled permanently in the coming months:
A recruitment campaign to permanently fill the GP role in Ballyduff is ongoing.
