Spending millions of pounds on agency workers to look after Fife patients must be stopped, it has been demanded.
Most of the £8.3 million bill, almost £6.5 million, was for medical and dental locums and it cost £1.4 millionfor agency nurses and healthcare assistants.
The revelation was made by NHS Fife in response to a request under Freedom of Information Act legislation.
It follows a report in The Courier that 53 out of 282 full-time consultant posts in NHS Fife were vacant.
Figures also showed that NHS Tayside spent £7m on agency staff.
Calling again for Health Secretary Shona Robison to intervene to solve the staff shortage, Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley said the use of locums was extremely expensive and provided poorer care for patients.
He said: “This cannot be allowed to continue.As the evidence shows, it costs a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere, particularly on preventative medicine.
“Most importantly patients are not getting the best treatment.As good as locums may be, they can’t make up for having continuing care from your own consultant.”
Mr Rowley said he was also continuing to push for creation of teaching status for Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital, in partnership with St Andrews University.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker said it was concerning to see the sum being spent on agency staff.
She said: “We know that our doctors and nurses are stretched while a number of positions, particularly consultants, remain unfilled.
“However, filling our hospitals with agency staff should not become the norm.
“We need to ensure that our health service in Fife is fully staffed and any shortages in specialities must be dealt with by the Scottish Government.”