Leaders of a north-east community facing a 20-mile round trip to the doctor have rallied around to find transport to elderly patients.
People in Gardenstown fear they are going to be abandoned by health chiefs after their medical centre was closed following the departure of two doctors.
One took up a new post elsewhere, while the other is recovering from an accident.
NHS Grampian has stressed the closure of Banff and Gamrie Medical Practice is only a short-term measure, but until the surgery is reopened patients must make the 10-mile trek to Banff. Public transport on the coastal route is very limited
Now community leaders have arranged for elderly patients or those without cars to have access to a free bus service.
Last night Troup councillor Hamish Partridge said he had spoken to both the health board and Aberdeenshire Council to arrange alternative transport including a dial-a-bus.
Deveron Care Concern, a local charity using voluntary drivers, are available to transport patients who have no alternative.
Mr Partridge is due to meet health bosses on Friday and will be joined by local MSP Stewart Stevenson and MP Eilidh Whiteford.
Last night Mr Stevenson said: “While I appreciate that attracting GPs to work in the north-east has been an issue for some time, people in Gardenstown and the surrounding area have been left in an unenviable position and those without private cars now face a difficult journey due to limited public transport in the area.”
In the meantime, the health board has put a number of measures in place to lessen the impact of the closure. These include a prescription telephone line which can be used to request repeats.
NHS Grampian’s lead pharmacist is in discussions with local chemists to make it easier for patients to collect their prescriptions.
Finally, appointments at the Banff practice have been rearranged to match the limited bus service from Gardenstown.
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “We are making every effort to resolve the staffing difficulties and resume normal service at Gardenstown as soon as possible.
“NHS Grampian appreciates that this is causing temporary inconvenience and difficulty for people and the patience of the local community is valued at this challenging time.”