About 500 patients will today be told the Queenstown Midtown Medical Centre will officially reopen on Monday, but the doctor who walked out after a dispute with the owner says he has "no immediate plans" to return.
The practice closed late last month when contract GP Dr Bruce McKinnon resigned after six months' employment, citing problems over pay.
Dr McKinnon told The Otago Daily Times yesterday he was working as a locum doctor at various locations outside the district because of "financial necessity", and had "no immediate plans" to return to Midtown Medical Centre.
A Queenstown resident for the past three and a-half years, he said he would consider working for a different practice in Queenstown, but had made no plans, and despite media reports, he had "no plans to take over the centre".
He had been advised by lawyers not to comment further.
Queenstown Midtown Medical Centre owner Greg Roberts yesterday said he would send out a letter to about 500 patients today to inform them of staff changes and to announce the official reopening on Monday.
A female agency doctor from Wellington would fill in for the first week of operations, before being replaced by a male agency doctor contracted until August.
There had been "no recent contact" from Dr McKinnon and a full-time permanent replacement was still being sought.
During the centre's closure, patients were referred to independent GP Michael Stevens, the Wakatipu Medical Centre and the three Queenstown Medical Centres.
Midtown patient Alex Vitale, of Queenstown, yesterday said there would be "no point" in continuing treatment at the centre, if Dr Mckinnon was not returning.
"No, I don't think I'll be going back again. What's the point? I might as well start from scratch again and tell a new doctor my medical history."
"Bruce was good. He was the first doctor who, instead of asking me how I feel, actually checked me out and it worked," Mr Vitale said.
