Doctors queue up for dream job in the Highlands

Published on Tuesday 17 February 2009 20:57

SIXTEEN people have applied for a remote GP's post in the Highlands, which health officials feared they would have trouble filling.

The small community in the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross is seeking a family doctor to help their existing GP cover the spectacular but isolated area.

Fearing they might have difficulty recruiting a suitable candidate, residents set up a website to help attract candidates by highlighting the area's scenery, wildlife and outdoor activities. It received 3,000 "hits" in one day with interest from as far away as the United States and Lithuania.

The job was advertised in outdoor magazines as well as the British Medical Journal, in hopes of arousing interest of GPs who enjoy hillwalking, climbing or kayaking.

NHS Highland has now revealed it received 16 applications by Monday's deadline.

Alison Phimister, the health board's locality manager for Ross, Cromarty and Wester Ross, said: "We are hoping to draw up a shortlist in the next week or so. Until the applications have been reviewed by the panel, we have no way of knowing whether the applicants have the appropriate qualifications and experience."

Among those who are believed to have applied for the post are a doctor from Arizona, a Polish orthopaedic surgeon and a student who has not yet qualified as a doctor. There has also been interest from doctors in Lithuania and South Africa.

Candidates are due to be interviewed next month.