A POPULAR GP is looking forward to a healthy retirement after spending more than half of his life in the profession.

Dr Andrew Demetriou retired last Saturday after 33 years as a GP — 20 of those at Huntley Mount Medical Centre in Huntley Mount Road.

Sixty-five-year-old Dr Demetriou, who lives in Elton with his wife Myra Coyle-Demetriou, grad-uated with a degree in medicine from Liverpool University in 1974.

He said: “It has been an honour to serve my patients at Huntley Mount Medical Centre, with the help of an excellent practice team.

“I firmly believe that ‘everyone we meet is our teacher’ and I have been blessed with many opportunities!

“I will hopefully spend my retirement spending time with my family, walking, reading, going to the theatre and travelling.”

Before working as a GP, Dr Demetriou practised paediatric medicine at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. In the 1980s, he was a GP tutor and lecturer at Bury Postgraduate Centre as well as a trainer for medical students.

Dr Demetriou is also an expert in complementary medicine — meeting Prince Charles after giving a lecture on homeopathy at St James’s Palace in 2005.

He said: “Thirty years ago complementary medicine was not acknowledged as it was a little-understood form of healing. Now it is part of normal cancer care in hospices and healing programmes throughout the country.”

In 2007 Dr Demetriou and his wife published a book on integrating complem-entary and conventional medicine.

All royalties from this publication have been donated to Bury African Outreach — a charity chaired by Dr Demetriou’s daughter Lydia which runs an orphanage in Uganda.

His son Christopher, a classical violinist, also fundraises for the charity.

Dr Demetriou added: “Some of the biggest changes in medicine I have seen in my time are advances in computing technology, MRI scanners and keyhole surgery — not to mention people are now living much longer. There is also now much earlier detection of cancers and more sophisticated and effective treatment of them through hospice care.”

Kath Adamson, practice manager at Huntley Mount Medical Centre, said: “All staff wish Dr Demetriou a very happy retirement. We have received many messages of good wishes and cards from patients.”