A north MSP has demanded a meeting with NHS Highland bosses over the suspension of junior doctor training at Caithness General Hospital.
Four young medics were due to start work at the Wick facility on Tuesday but were instead told they were being redeployed to vacant positions elsewhere in the Highlands and Grampian.
The hospital was withdrawn as a training centre after a long-term locum consultant left her post at Caithness General at the end of July.
NHS Highland and NHS Education for Scotland agreed that training should be halted because it no longer has enough consultants to supervise the trainee doctors.
It means the loss of a total of seven training posts – five foundation year positions and two GPs. Three of posts were unfilled by the time that the doctors were due to start.
Locums have been drafted in to cover the gaps in the service while NHS Highland tries to recruit more senior staff.
However training will not take place at the hospital for at least the next four months.
Now Rob Gibson SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross has demanded an early meeting with NHS Highland bosses to clarify when and how junior doctor training will resume at Caithness General Hospital.
Mr Gibson said: “Uncertainty over Caithness hospital services has gone on too long. It is high time that NHS Highland recruited staff to work in the whole Highland area.
“No area, particularly Caithness, should feel it gets second class treatment. NHS Highland bosses must come clean. If they have appropriate medical staff employed in Raigmore can they be switched to Caithness General Hospital on an immediate basis to continue medical careers in smaller hospitals in their charge.
“Urgent answers are demanded by my constituents. I want a detailed reply by next week from the chairman and chief executive of NHS Highland.”