Leeton Shire Council made contact with the MLHD following a public meeting in July that discussed ongoing issues with the hospital, particularly the lack of a permanent doctor at the facility.

It was at this meeting general manager Jackie Kruger located a rolling advertisement for a career medical officer (CMO) for Leeton hospital.

The wage being offered was called into question at this meeting. However, it now appears a permanent doctor for the hospital has been taken off the table all together, shocking Leeton shire mayor Paul Maytom and council's general manager Jackie Kruger.

Council discovered through its own conversations that MLHD was no longer seeking a CMO for Leeton nor does it intend to in the future.

"The response we have received is that a CMO path is not on their (MLHD's) agenda for Leeton hospital," Mrs Kruger said.

"The feedback we have now received from MLHD is they are looking at filling (the gaps) with locums (as part of the on-call roster).

"We understand they have to use locums to do that, but we never thought in this whole process that locums would be the answer.

"This is the first we have heard of this."

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Councillor Maytom questioned whether the MLHD was going to tell council it was no longer looking to recruit a CMO for Leeton had it not made the inquiry itself.

"Yet again we are getting mixed messages and the ball game changes," he said.

"We are given assurances by MLHD and we tell our community the MLHD is trying to get a permanent doctor for the hospital, only to have the story change again.

"Every discussion over the last few years with the MLHD has been about a CMO and the need for one here because that would then free up our doctors who are on the on-call roster."

The MLHD plans to develop a new structure for Leeton hospital.

"MLHD can confirm it is no longer accepting applications for the career medical officer position for Leeton District Hospital and the position is no longer advertised," the health service said.

What the MLHD has said is it is working on a new way forward, but whether or not that includes a path for a doctor to be permanently located at the hospital has not been made 100 per cent clear as yet.

"A new medical workforce model will allow Murrumbidgee Local Health District to offer a more attractive remuneration package and better working conditions in order to attract permanent appropriately trained doctors to work in Leeton hospital," a statement from MLHD read.

"While the model is being developed, locum doctors have been contracted to provide medical cover for the emergency department.

"Between the locum doctors and the existing Leeton GP visiting medical officers (VMOs), a doctor is now available at Leeton hospital at all times."

The community has been ramping up calls for a permanent doctor at the Leeton hospital following a public meeting to discuss the shire's health services late last month.

The idea from the community is to have a doctor based permanently at the hospital for at least 38 hours per week and then have an on-call roster filled by GP VMOs to cover nights and weekends.

This would theoretically help to relieve pressure on GPs who are currently attending the hospital while on call and running their own medical practices during the day.

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