A GP who became the first to carry out operations in Ongar has hung up his stethoscope after more than three decades in the town.
Dr Ken Menon arrived at The Ongar Surgery in 1980 and, along with fellow GP Dr Ifthikar Qazi, soon started to conduct minor surgical procedures such as vasectomies and the removal of varicose veins.
His rationale behind this was to make surgery more convenient for patients by virtue of the fact that they would not need to travel to hospital.
He added: "If the patients could be operated on locally, we'd help the NHS by keeping the costs of referring patients down.
"Having been part of it, I'm proud in my small little way."
Dr Menon, who lives in Hook End, undertook his surgical training at St Margaret's Hospital in Epping and later in Chelmsford.
When he joined The Ongar Surgery it was located in Bansons Lane, although it subsequently moved to the High Street in 1987.
Reflecting on the numerous changes that have taken place in general practice over the course of his 33 year career, Dr Menon said: "Medical practice is in a permanent state of revolution and it's great to have been part of the change in the nature of general practice.
"Traditionally, medical roles were the preserve of hospitals – general practice is about bringing care from the hospitals into the communities – it has been a huge transition."
As for the patients he would no longer be seeing, he said: "It's extremely difficult and sad – I've known sometimes three or four generations of the same family. These are people who are not patients – they are friends.
"You work, shop, and your children grow up together.
"I've been into virtually every house in Ongar over the past 33 years and I know patients by their first names, they call me by my first name – I have professional but very close relationships with them.
"It's a large number of friends that I'm leaving professionally and I'm coming to terms with that."
Dr Menon's retirement was marked by a small party for staff held at the surgery.
He admitted he was sad to be leaving his job behind however he is looking forward to taking more time for his hobbies, which include gardening and reading modern history books.
The devoted doctor doesn't plan to cut all his medical ties though.
He plans to do one or two sessions a week to help out his previous practice, while the rest of the time he will be working for the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group – the new body which covers 39 general practices in Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford.
Ongar practice manager Linda Glassock said her former colleague would be remembered fondly.
"He was a pleasure to work with," she said. "You couldn't have asked for a better boss.
"I think a lot of the patients will miss him and ever since they started finding out we have had lots of tributes to him."
