Twice-monthly visits to Omarama by a Kurow doctor have ended, because not enough people were using the service.
The Waitaki Valley Medical Trust, which operates the Kurow medical service, said yesterday the doctor was still available for medical emergencies at Omarama and Omarama patients could visit the doctor at Kurow.
The doctor used to visit Omarama on the first and third Thursdays of every month, using a medical centre owned by the Waitaki District Council.
The centre has since been sold.
Trust chairman Fred Graham said the decision was made to end the doctor's visits because Omarama people were not using the service and a building was no longer available.
About 18 months ago, the Omarama community had been warned to "use it or lose it", he said.
"It's a total nonsense [to continue the visits] if there is no building and a wasteful use of scarce resources if there is no-one [for the doctor] to see."
Mr Graham said the practice was still serving Omarama patients, but it was better to keep the doctor in the Kurow surgery for four days than have the doctor travel to Omarama to see a small number of patients.
He suggested a day could be set aside regularly for Omarama patients who could travel together or car pool.
Ahuriri Community Board chairman Craig Dawson said the community was hoping to attract a district practitioner nurse, supported by a doctor from Oamaru as a mentor.
A new medical service would be one of the issues to be discussed at a public meeting in Omarama on August 29.
