Gunnedah residents are turning to GP clinics as far away as Tamworth while local practices are kept busy and Mackellar Rural Health Centre searches for a permanent GP.
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One medical practice in Tamworth has told the Namoi Valley Independent it has more than 60 patients on the books from the Gunnedah area.
Some locals say Mackellar's struggle to hire a permanent doctor is a symptom of a wider problem, one saying "we have been given the cold shoulder by the medical profession".
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Brian Jeffrey is one of the several dozen patients who visit the Barton Lane Practice in Tamworth; he said he'd been unable to get into Mackellar and other Gunnedah clinics in the past.
"I am one of an increasing number of elderly Gunnedah residents who have been forced to travel the 160km round trip to Tamworth to seek GP services," he said.
"I am dreading the time when I have to make this journey when I am in extremely bad health.
"I will be an accident waiting to happen on the Oxley Highway."
Mr Jeffrey said the constant supply of locums at Mackellar, since its last permanent doctor, Jennifer Hunter, left on July 23, "should cause major concern in the Gunnedah community".
"The health centre is a magnificent facility but will never realise its potential without doctors," he said.
"Similarly, the redevelopment of Gunnedah Hospital will be a total waste of money if is not serviced by qualified medical practitioners."
Mr Jeffrey said there should be more incentives to attract doctors to town, "but the government does not appear to have either the backbone or desire to take any action".
"The Gunnedah community should have reasonable access to the same health services as the residents of Sydney."
Mackellar Care Services chief executive officer Wayne Snelson said the clinic was still "on the look-out for a permanent doctor".
"Until that occurs we have no other option than to use locums," Mr Snelson said.
"There's no update on a permanent ... Gunnedah GP at this point."
Mr Snelson said Dr Alice Wu returned to her position as the clinic's locum doctor last week, and would remain until the start of October.
Gunnedah Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association president Myra Tailby said her husband also struggled to get a doctor's appointment when he needed one.
"At the moment, my husband is without a doctor and it's absolutely disgusting," Mrs Tailby said.
"He's still trying to get into Mackellar ... if he doesn't soon get a doctor, he'll have to get into a doctor elsewhere here in Gunnedah, or Boggabri, Narrabri or Tamworth.
"I think [Mackellar Care Services] should've made sure they had permanent doctors here to cater for the citizens of Gunnedah."
