Both Dunstan Hospital and the Health and Disability Commissioner declined to comment on the incident.
Ian Bray (57), who lives in Edinburgh but spends about half the year in Alexandra, suffers from atrial fibrillation. An irregular, rapid heart rate can cause poor bloodflow.
If a person with atrial fibrillation has an irregular heart rate for more than 48 hours, there is a risk of blood clots which could lead to a lack of blood supply to the brain and a stroke.
One day in April while in Alexandra his heart started beating irregularly, at more than 100bpm.
He went to a medical centre in Alexandra, where a doctor tried to solve the problem but an hour later, he felt worse.
He returned to the surgery and staff told him he was fine.
But that night, the situation worsened.
"I didn’t have pain, I had breathlessness and it exhausts you as well, it knocks seven bells."
He called Healthline and the operator told him to go to Dunstan Hospital in the morning.
About 8-9am, Mr Bray walked into Dunstan Hospital.
"The woman behind the counter was reading a paper. I explained what was wrong. She told me I was wrong to have come, that foreigners always make the same mistake, I should leave and make an appointment with an Alexandra GP. I asked to see a nurse and sat down to wait. The nurse came and I was told that I would not be seen."
But Mr Bray did not want to return to a GP with the service he had experienced the day before, so he made the decision to drive to Oamaru Hospital.
"I realised that there was not enough concern, facilities or help in Alexandra or Clyde ... I was at a hospital with a heart problem and I was turned down on my heels and sent away."
He was in the Oamaru intensive care unit for two nights and after that treatment, he was back to normal.
At Oamaru, he was impressed with the care he received. He had been there previously for a similar reason.
"The Oamaru Hospital is utterly exceptional, it’s incredible, and when I got there they just took me straight in and kept me in."
Dunstan Hospital does not have an accident and emergency department but Oamaru does.
The Oamaru Hospital confirmed Mr Bray was admitted to the hospital in April.
Central Otago Health Services Ltd and Dunstan Hospital chief executive Karyn Penno said the hospital was discussing the matter with the commission.
She did not wish to comment on the man’s perception of his care.
"As with any situation such as this, we would prefer that the [Health and Disability Commissioner] have the opportunity to respond to the complainant in order to protect his dignity and privacy rather than discuss the full circumstances of his encounter in public forum."
The commissioner also declined to comment.
Correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Ian Bray was unhappy with the treatment he received at Central Medical Alexandra.
Central Medical Alexandra rejects Mr Bray's claims. Director Mike Olsen said Mr Bray was not seen nor treated by any of the centre's staff, but instead visited another medical practice.
The ODT apologises to Central Medical Alexandra and its staff for the error.
