Midtown Medical Centre owner Greg Roberts hopes to reopen the Queenstown practice before the end of this month.
The practice has been closed since late last month after contract GP Dr Bruce McKinnon resigned, citing problems over pay.
Mr Roberts said yesterday he was liaising with a recruitment agency to hire a locum from Wellington to stand in for Dr McKinnon.
"It looks like we've got a doctor committed to start from January 24," he said.
In the interim, Midtown patients are advised to contact Queenstown Medical Centre, Wakatipu Medical Centre or Mountain Lakes Medical Centre.
Mr Roberts had earlier claimed Dr McKinnon - who is understood to be working as a locum in Tapanui - took a computer hard-drive and patient list from the clinic.
Dr McKinnon addressed both claims in response to an email from the Otago Daily Times yesterday:"You will probably see [Mr] Roberts retract his allegation that I took a hard-drive from the premises.
The receptionist did this, as she did every night in case there was a fire or other disaster which might destroy vital medical notes.
In fact it was probably in her job description.
She was just doing her job.
"To ensure the duty of care to the patients who would otherwise have been abandoned when [Mr] Roberts announced on 30th December that he was closing the practice until further notice and changed the locks overnight, I borrowed a patient list.
"This list is of no further interest or use to me as the duty of care has been discharged, and the list will be returned to [Mr] Roberts.
I have no further comment," Dr McKinnon said.
On Tuesday, Mr Roberts said he would take breach of privacy and restraint of trade action against Dr McKinnon, who, he says, "pulled the pin" on the practice on December 28.
The move follows a letter, dated January 5, written by Dr McKinnon on behalf of three other staff, including part-time GP Margaret Blanshard and a receptionist and nurse.
The letter was circulated to the centre's 500 patients, advising them that medical staff might not continue working, citing "differences in vision with the practice's owner".
Otago Southern Public Health Organisation chief executive Ian Macara said Midtown Medical had not broken its contract with the PHO.
"Midtown have a contract with the PHO to provide primary patient care and service. Greg Roberts has advised us that he has made arrangements locally for services continuity to fulfil his contract," he said.
The clinic's referrals to other doctors and Mr Roberts' attempts to find a replacement for Dr McKinnon met the criteria for "service continuity", Mr Macara said.
"Now - if that collapses then we will be in discussion with Greg Roberts about how the situation is resolved," Mr Macara said.
