AN ELDERLY man claims he has been left with kidney damage after he was prescribed too high a dose of antibiotics at Inverell Hospital.
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Albert Mihan was admitted to the hospital on March 8 after he became delirious and started to sweat profusely with no clear explanation for his symptoms.
The 79-year-old said he was prescribed antibiotics on a drip until his kidneys began to fail.
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"I'm very wobbly, I'm much weaker than what I was and I can hardly lift anything," Mr Mihan said.
"The doctor said it was probably a virus from something feral like an animal, but they were only guessing, they kept taking blood tests with no real result.
"Apart from ringing another doctor in Armidale it felt like they were flying by the seat of their pants."
Mr Mihan expressed broader concerns about the quality of care at the hospital given one GP visited patients in the morning and nurses were responsible for the remainder of the day.
Hunter New England Health's (HNEH) acting health service manager at Inverell Hospital Renae Bolch has contacted Mr Mihan to listen to his concerns and apologise on behalf of the hospital.
A HNEH spokeswoman said a review of his care is under way.
"We are sorry to hear Mr Mihan is disappointed with the care he received," she said.
"Hunter New England Local Health District treats patients' concerns very seriously and encourages patients to let us know when their care hasn't been delivered as they expected."
The federal government's health department is responsible for funding GP services in the community, and those who are willing to work in small rural hospitals are employed by local health districts as visiting medical officers.
A HNEH spokeswoman said a number of Inverell GP visiting medical officers have admitting rights and are on a roster to provide inpatient medical care on the wards.
"The hospital also provides emergency department care 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week and a Fast-Track Clinic for patients who do not require urgent treatment, but need to see a doctor for their medical condition," she said.
The spokeswoman said the state government is investing $2.8 billion to give the workforce an 8,300 frontline hospital staff boost and 45 per cent of those are slated for rural and regional areas.
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