Wolverhampton GP thanks community as he calls time on 40-year career
A much-loved doctor is preparing to call time on his 40-year journey from the Far East to the Black Country.
Dr Fong Lee from Wednesfield will begin retirement on January 1 after making the decision to step away from a job which took him from life as a medical student in Hong Kong to running his own practice in Featherstone, Wolverhampton.
The 69-year-old left Hong Kong in 1981 to study medicine in Sydney in Australia, before entering into an exchange scheme which took him to the Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton, then to a general practice in Wednesfield before the opportunity to run his own practice came up.
He said: "I came to Featherstone in 1991 when there was only a barn surgery there and there was a high incidence of lung diseases from its time as a mining village, and I was approached by the parish council to consider opening a surgery there.
"I started one there with a colleague before taking it over and applying for some funding to build up to a small practice, then were able to build it up to a training practice and are now at a point where we have three doctors."
Dr Lee said there had been other reasons for coming to the UK in the early 1980s, citing the universal free health care system as something which made him want to come.
He said: "That really interested me as I wanted to look at a different way of providing a health service and I think it really helped my professional development to work in that environment.
"Another great thing that came from it was that I met my wife Maureen while she was working in A&E and we have now been married for 39 years."
As well as the professional development, Dr Lee said he had been made to feel so welcome by the community in Featherstone and had developed a deep relationship with many of his patients.
He said: "They made me feel so welcome when I arrived and that has continued ever since as I have provided that continuity of care, with day and night visitations.
"It has been demanding at times, but we have always had that special relationship and a lot of them told me they are very upset that I'm retiring as they have known me for so many years.
"They have made a book for me with all the comments people have left and there are some lovely messages in there and I'm very touched at what they wrote."
Dr Lee said he doesn't know what he will be doing next, although he plans to spend time with Maureen and his four children and two grand children.
He said: "I'm apprehensive about leaving as general practice has been so much of my life, but I think it's time for me hand it over to the younger generation and ensure they keep up the standard.
"I hope people will remember me as a person who grew up to become a leader in Featherstone and developed a training practice with a new generation of GP's.
"I got tremendous satisfaction from making diagnosis and providing support to patients at difficult times, so it has been a wonderful ride."
