The HSE paid private recruitment firms almost 10 million euros last year.
Two companies got over 2.5 million each.
Some of the money was spent on recruiting nurses from overseas - and paying agency staff.
Galway GP Martin Daly says it's a waste of money.
He adds " the health service relies on agency staff because of a lack of ambition to make the health services a career of choice for people."
"It reflects a lack of capacity in the system and it also is not a healthy way to develop our health services because the problem with the provision of care is lack of continuity care and seeing those careers as a career of choice with professionals."