The Isle of Barra has a population of around 1,300

Dr David Bickle, the only doctor for Barra and Vatersay, was alleged to earn a personal salary of �300,000 a year.

Health Minister Andy Kerr and Western Isles Health Board were drawn into the matter.

But it has now emerged that someone posted the claims on a doctors' internet forum as an April Fool.

The joke appeared on a doctors' internet website after Dr Bickle had posted his own contribution about GPs' earnings.

The health board said it had always maintained that payments made to Dr Bickle were not his personal salary, but to pay for what was a two-doctor practice and cover the cost of its associated staff.

He said that he believed the article was written by someone as an April Fool joke Western Isles Health Board

Barra and Vatersay's other GP left the practice recently and Dr Bickle has been trying to find a replacement.

The health board refused to confirm how much the practice is paid, but told the BBC Scotland news website that it would not be far off the �300,000 figure.

But a spokesman stressed it was not Dr Bickle's personal earnings.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the board said: "After media stories about his alleged earnings, Dr David Bickle, the GP on Barra, contacted the health board today to say that he did not write the internet article in which he is quoted as saying he earns �300,000 a year.

Turkish newspaper

"He said that he believed the article was written by someone as an April Fool joke following a website contribution that Dr Bickle had made about GP earnings.

"Dr Bickle, who is currently on holiday with his family, said that he would also like it to be known that the claims in the article are largely untrue and that he does not earn �300,000 per annum or anything near that.

"The GP said that he told the one journalist who contacted him beforehand that the story was untrue but it was reported and commented on far and wide and is even understood to have appeared in a newspaper in Turkey."

The board said payments made to the practice are not "exceptional" and only gets similar NHS funding to other practices.

Latest developments

The Scottish Executive rejected any suggestion the minister had been embarrassed by the bizarre twist to the story, which first broke over the weekend.

Mr Kerr had said he would look into the situation in the Western Isles.

An executive health spokesman said on Tuesday that they were aware of the latest developments.

He said: "The minister got involved when he said he'd look into the circumstances of what is happening.