Small patient numbers has led to a low demand on GP night cover
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An MP has called for out-of-hours GP payments to be reformed after it emerged the service cost �1m in the Western Isles last year.
GPs are entitled to a �1,000-a-night fee for night emergency work even if they have a small number of patients.
A Western Isles Health Board spokesman admitted that local patient demand on some nights was "non-existent".
SNP MP Angus MacNeil said the system should be changed to reflect the low volume of calls to GPs in rural areas.
The health board is currently trying to deal with an overspend of about �3m.
Figures showed it paid out almost �5m to 13 practices to provide normal contractual care, and �918,000 for the out-of-hours service.
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You can't blame the GPs for cashing in but it is at the taxpayers' expense
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About 3,000 patients in the area were referred by the NHS 24 helpline to the emergency service, which is provided by 31 GPs.
The scheme was brought in as part of NHS 24 because the new GPs contract allowed doctors to opt out of night time emergency cover.
Mr MacNeil said a "no call-less fee" system would be more appropriate.
"There might be an argument in rural areas of fees based on actual demand rather than flat-rate payments," he said.
"You can't blame the GPs for cashing in but it is at the taxpayers' expense and some of the money could be better directed at other patient services."
Health board spokesman Iain Maciver said: "I am sure that there are some nights when they get no calls. But there are others when they are busy. It just depends on demand.
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