The National Home Doctor Service - which offered after hours care - withdrew services from the Bendigo area in March, citing cuts to the Medicare rebate for doctors who saw patients at home.

But not all doctors agree the absence of general practice care after 11pm puts people at risk.

Read more: Patients 'dramatically at risk' in Bendigo GP shortage

Bendigo Community Health Services director of Primary Health Care Services Graem Kelly said the absence of overnight care could put patients with chronic diseases at risk of becoming acutely ill.

He said the situation must also be putting pressure on Bendigo's emergency department, as people sought overnight medical attention there.

"The inability to have an effective after hours service it puts a growing expectation on the A&E service to be able to handle increased numbers," Mr Kelly said.

"It puts at risk those with chronic disease who if attended to in a timely manner could be managed and effectively kept out of hospital.

"It puts at risk individuals in nursing homes. It puts at risk chronic disease patients, it puts at risk the general community, who due to the wait times and the expectations of trying to access GP services further down the track of becoming acutely ill."

The National Home Doctor Service said cuts to Medicare rebates paid to doctors who see patients at home had forced it to withdraw from the Bendigo area, in a letter sent to local patients in March.

Chief executive John Pappalardo said cuts, on top of the difficulty finding doctors willing to work after hours, made recruitment and retention of doctors close to impossible.

Read more: Overseas doctors could ease Bendigo's shortage of GPs

It followed eight months during which the service had to organise doctors from Melbourne to provide services to the Bendigo area, he said.

Eaglehawk GP Tali Barrett said after hours services in Bendigo over the years meant most general practice clinics had dropped the after hours service they used to provide.

But she said nursing homes were left with a gap without a home doctor service.

Dr Barrett's clinic used to provide after hours care, but rarely received calls past 11pm, she said.

Most people who were sick enough to need middle of the night care were sick enough to go to the emergency department, she said.

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