NHS Grampian has hired 19 new consultants in the last three months as it fights back against the staff shortages which have plagued the board.
The new cohort of top-tier medics have yet to arrive in the north-east but are due to start work over the course of the summer.
The staffing boost was revealed after a global recruitment campaign was launched by NHS Grampian to try to counter the flow of professionals leaving the organisation.
The drive appears to now be paying off after the board suffered an exodus of specialists during a particularly troubled spell which culminated in a scathing report on the culture and practice at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in December.
The board had 67 empty consultant posts at the end of March this year – up from 52 at the same time in 2014 – with about half of them vacant for more than six months.
A spokeswoman confirmed that a significant number of appointments had now been made.
Posts have been advertised in countries including New Zealand, Greece, Italy, Spain and Poland.
No further information was available from the board about which specialist roles had been filled. but latest data shows the biggest shortages were in anaesthetics, general medicine and psychiatric specialities.
The spokeswoman said: “During the 2014-15 financial year we appointed 17 consultants. There are a further 19 consultants who have accepted positions within NHS Grampian but have not yet started.
“Consultant recruitment can be challenging as we seek to fill highly specialised roles.
“Our vacancies are advertised locally, nationally and internationally as appropriate and recruitment staff attend various job fairs. Relocation costs and the comparatively high cost of living in the region can be a further challenge.
“However, we believe that Grampian is an attractive place to work and live and we continue to seek new employees to join us.”
The recruitment of permanent staff will drive down the costs associated with temporary doctors, with £6.6million spent on locums in 2013-14.
However, about 48 consultant posts still remain empty.
In June last year, consultants raised concerns at board level that patients safety could be at risk in A&E departments because staff shortages.
One of those who spoke about the issue, Mark Mitchelson, left his role in the emergency department in October.