Two consultant physicians from Greece have been appointed as locums to fill vacancies at a Highland hospital.
Dr Nikolaos Zakynthinakis-Kyriakou and Dr Petros Karsaliakos have joined staff at Caithness General Hospital in Wick on year-long contracts.
NHS Highland has had to hire locums after it was unable to attract doctors to permanent positions following the departure of two consultants.
NHS Highland said the new consultants were highly experienced and would prove to be real assets to the NHS and the Caithness community.
Managers added that they were striving to address a long-standing concern over the recruitment and retention of staff in remote and rural communities.
Dr Zakynthinakis-Kyriakou and Dr Karsaliakos, who joined the NHS last month, are undergoing an intensive induction process before taking up their roles.
Gill McVicar, director of operations for NHS Highland's North and West Operational Unit, said: "We are delighted to have these two highly-experienced physicians join us, following the decision of two consultants at Caithness General Hospital to leave us.
"We did everything we could to attract people to substantive posts in Caithness but to no avail.
"However, we are determined to ensure that the level of provision we provide there is as safe and sustainable as possible.
"Both consultants, who were recruited through agencies, come to us with considerable experience and skills, and I am sure they will prove to be real assets to us and the Caithness community," she said
NHS Highland has previously used Polish doctors as locum consultants at the Wick hospital's maternity unit.
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