THE man who was with a mentally ill woman when she was turned away from the Tennant Creek Hospital says the dates he provided to the Tennant and District Times last week were incorrect.

But he stands by his claims and still believes the incident contributed to her downward spiral which continued after she returned to Mount Isa.

Bronwyn Howard is now missing and Queensland Police are currently investigating the matter.

Family friend, Gary Sullivan, took her to the Tennant Creek Hospital on 29 February (not in April as reported last week) because he said she needed antipsychotic and antibiotic medication.

“The doctor on duty refused to issue her with scripts because he claimed she had been given some eight days prior,” he said.

“I told him her scripts were missing because she had been lost in the bush but he didn’t seem to get it.

“He refused at least five times until we left in frustration.”

Two days later on 2 March, Bronwyn’s brother, Stephen Hunt, drove her to the general practitioner but she walked over to the hospital.

“She was in a very bad way and was feeling paranoid and disoriented,” he said.

“A social worker spoke to me about sending her back to Mount Isa and a woman doctor came out and talked to me as well.

“Bronwyn told me she wanted to go so everyone seemed to agree that was the best idea.

“From what I understand, they arranged a bus ticket for her for early the following morning and that was the last I saw of her.”

Stephen said it had been a testing time trying to look after Bronwyn as her mental health deteriorated during her stay in Tennant Creek.

“I think she came back to us [her family] because she wasn’t well and thought we’d be able to help but we couldn’t do anything when she had no medication to treat her illness.”

The last known sighting of Bronwyn was in Mount Isa on 13 May. She has not accessed her bank accounts, service centres or contacted her family since.

Gary believes she has wandered off into bushland again and has most likely perished.

“This is exactly what I warned about,” he said.

“She got lost in the bush here and I realised it could easily happen again.

“But once she lost control of her mind things were always going to get worse without medical intervention.”

Department of Health Media Director Robin Osborne said Mike Melino, Executive Director, Central Australia Hospital Network, denied knowledge of Gary and Bronwyn presenting at the hospital on 29 February.

“There is no record, nor any staff recollection, of Ms Howard being accompanied to the hospital by Mr Sullivan, or anyone else, on 29 February or any other day,” he scribed in an email.

The Department of Health also stated that the Tennant Creek Hospital was committed to assisting all patients requiring medical assistance and did not turn away patients in need of care.

With regards to Bronwyn’s case the statement continued: “Hospital records confirm that this patient was provided with a continuum of appropriate medical care over several weeks in February and March 2012.”