Latest news with #MurrumbidgeeLocalHealthDistrict
West Australian
18 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
Q fever and clot undiagnosed before meat worker's death
A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Q fever and clot undiagnosed before meat worker's death
A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Q fever and clot undiagnosed before meat worker's death
A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A rural health service and a doctor have offered their condolences to the family of an Indigenous man who died after a blood clot likely linked to Q fever went undiagnosed. Paul Harris died at Hay Hospital, in regional NSW, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia. But an inquest has been told the 43-year-old meat worker also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs, which went undetected at the small rural hospital. Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock. Ahmed Hosni, one of two doctors who worked across the GP clinic and the hospital in Hay, recalled Mr Harris being admitted in late September 2019 for a "straight forward" case of community-acquired pneumonia. Mr Harris responded to antibiotics and was soon discharged from hospital. But on October 9, he returned to the clinic saying he'd coughed up blood and Dr Hosni re-admitted him. Dr Hosni considered the possibility of a pulmonary embolism during a consultation at the clinic that day, but further examinations at the hospital led him to believe recurrent pneumonia was more likely than a clot. "I changed my mind," Dr Hosni told the inquest at Griffith Local Court on Tuesday. He said he did not test for Q fever because the antibiotics used to treat pneumonia would manage both conditions. Five days later, Mr Harris's health was not improving and Dr Hosni ordered more blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan, but did not transfer him to the larger hospital at Griffith. Expert reports provided to the inquest said the case should have been escalated and the two doctors at Hay Hospital acted on "most likely" scenarios, rather than ruling out life-threatening conditions like clots. But Dr Hosni said pulmonary embolisms do not have specific diagnostic features. "This is the difficulty and this is why it scares every single medical practitioner," he said. Unlike a tertiary hospital, the rural facility did not have access to advanced screening services such as a specialised test that can detect lung clots. He and the other doctor shared duties across the clinic and hospital, often on-call after hours and on weekends. Now in a different role in Victoria, Dr Hosni said he often thought of Mr Harris's death and went through a period of "over-investigating" patients as a result. He had since learned that Q fever can spark an immune response that increases the risk of clots. "I feel very sorry for what's happened," Dr Hosni said to Mr Harris's family as they sat in the courtroom. "I didn't know Paul for a long time, but he was very easy to talk to and he was a very beautiful person." Barrister Richard Sergi, representing the local health district, also offered "sincere and profound" condolences. "The Murrumbidgee Local Health District acknowledges without any reservation the immeasurable loss that is Paul's death," Mr Sergi said. NSW Health had improved conditions to reduce rural doctor fatigue in recent years, introduced a program that allowed patients' families to elevate their concerns and expanded cultural training programs. The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
ABC News
10-08-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Be a Health Hero program gives students insight into realities of hospital work
It did not take long for Felicity Bacon to realise she was keen on nursing. The Riverina Anglican College year 11 student identified her likely career path after taking part in the Be a Health Hero program, run by the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD). "I was a health hero twice last year … and I loved it so much," she told ABC Riverina Breakfast. "[I] got to hear from other people who worked in the hospital, and I fell in love with nursing." The four-day program provides year 10 students with the opportunity to learn about life support, wound care and physiotherapy at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. Inspired by that experience, Ms Bacon is now doing a school-based traineeship in nursing, and hopes to pursue a career as a paediatric nurse. "Wednesdays are my favourite days because I get to work at the hospital and it's so new and exciting and it's not the same and it's all just so fun," she said. The traineeship offers year 11 and 12 students the opportunity to work one day a week at Wagga Base Hospital while completing a Certificate III qualification in either health services assistance or allied health assistance. Eighty-five students have participated in the MLHD traineeships since the program started in 2020. Nurses and Midwives Association Wagga Wagga branch secretary Roylene Stanley said she had mixed feelings about the programs. "It's a great idea … it gives them a taste of what nursing is like," Ms Stanley said. "[But] imagine coming into critical staff shortages and seeing how hard nurses are working. According to figures supplied by the union, nurses and midwives worked a total of 133,417 overtime hours in the 2023/2024 financial year, costing the health district more than $11 million. Ms Stanley said members were expected to regularly work several hours of overtime and the industry was losing experienced nurses. "The answer isn't going to be filling all these gaps with nurses who just don't have that experience," she said. Ms Bacon noticed the long hours nurses were working during her traineeship, but said she was inspired by their devotion to the job. Rural Doctors Association of NSW president Rachel Christmas agreed there were staffing issues to be addressed, but said the traineeships were "fantastic". "[Students are] working towards their health qualification, while finishing off their schooling, and I think that's a really great idea," she said. But Dr Christmas, who works across the private and public health sectors, said there was a shortage of nursing staff at the Temora Hospital, which is also in the MLHD. She said the situation was getting worse, with nurses "exhausted" and overworked. "What we're seeing is a lot of the nurses are working really hard and our nurses on the ground locally are the ones who stay here working longer shifts and double shifts to make up the numbers," she said. Dr Christmas said inquiries into healthcare provision in regional NSW had shown many areas needed addressing, including culture, staffing, pay, incentives, education, support and upskilling. "There are so many things that need to be addressed and a lot of it takes money, time and good leadership," she said. "So, it's a really complex area and there's a long way to go." The ABC reached out to the MLHD for data about nurse vacancies, but it did not respond before publication.
