North-West Area Health Service acting chief executive Gavin Austin said the use of the car was a violation of the department's vehicle policy and a ``human resources process'' was under way to deal with the locum doctor involved.

``The DHHS Vehicle Policy contains clear guidelines on the use of vehicles, including use for private purposes,'' Mr Austin said. ``The use of the car in this case was not authorised.

``Locum doctors who provide weekend on-call cover have access to hospital pool cars so they can reach hospital easily and quickly if they are needed. This is also cost effective as it saves money compared to the expense of using hire cars for the same purpose,'' he said.

Mr Austin said the locum doctor who signed the car out remained close to the hospital and fulfilled his on-call duties.

A 34-year-old Italian and 31-year-old Scotsman borrowed the car on Friday afternoon and drove to the Leven Canyon area intending to do a two-hour bushwalk. They misread the map and decided to make camp when it got dark, before attempting to walk out the next day.

After they were located by State Emergency Service personnel they were photographed getting into the government-plated car, which had been left at the start of the track.

Mr Austin said the department was looking at its procedures to ensure locum doctors were aware of the policy and a similar incident did not occur again. The doctor, who has not been named, was a friend of the tourists.