The Cook Islands Health Ministry says people on the outer islands are not at greater risk because they don't have resident doctors.
People on the island of Mangaia are expressing concern at the loss of their only doctor.
But Health Secretary Elizabeth Iro says most of the outer islands don't have doctors.
Health Secretary Elizabeth Iro has moved to reassure people in the outer islands Photo: Alex Perrottet / RNZ
She said they're being well cared for by nurses and nurse practitioners with support from specialists on Rarotonga.
"What we've actually done last year is really look to see what would be a minimum standard, we've looked to see what type of health professional can best serve the Cook Islands in term of budget appropriations," Mrs Iro said.
"So it's not a simple case of if I had a doctor on each island that would take care of business."
Mrs Iro said emergencies can happen whether or not a doctor is present and nurses are trained to identify high risk cases in advance, and refer trauma cases to Rarotonga.
