A crisis-hit medical practice in the north-east will now only open once a week to provide medicine to local people.
Gamrie Medical Practice had faced closure last year after the NHS failed to attract new doctors to the area.
The facility had been in doubt since 2015, when the Press and Journal revealed local people had already been made to travel 10 miles to visit their nearest doctor.
Now in a fresh blow to the community, the centre’s dispensing service will only operate once a week going forward.
The change came into effect on Tuesday.
Local councillor Mark Findlater last night branded the move “disappointing”.
“I’ve been in contact with the NHS since locals started finding out the change last week,” he said.
“The NHS is saying that the change is due to the lack of use, but it’s disappointing.
“Local volunteers had come forward to help deliver the dispensing service and I’ve expressed my concerns that it needs to be at least two days.
“They have agreed to meet with me to discuss these concerns, but that meeting hasn’t taken place yet.”
Last night, a spokeswoman for NHS Grampian confirmed that the new schedule for dispensing was based on footfall at the medical practice.
She said: “We recently reviewed activity of patients using medicine collection from Gardenstown. Numbers continue to remain very small.
“It was agreed that a once a week delivery service would adequately meet the needs of the community. Patients can continue to collect their medicines once a week in Gardenstown if they so wish.
“Once again, we would reiterate that it is always helpful to order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time to allow for the new timescale.”
She added that NHS Grampian remained “committed” to continuing to offer the dispensing service in the future.