On Wednesday Health Minister Michael Ferguson confirmed neurologist Dr Lee Archer would start seeing patients at the LGH from January 21.

However Eva Mehegan of Riverside, whose 59-year-old son Mark Schwamm was admitted to hospital in October, says she has yet to meet the locum neurologist who will continue to care for him in the interim.

Ms Mehegan said the contract of the locum neurologist who had been treating her son ended last week, prompting concerns for his ongoing treatment.

“We were very concerned,” she said.

“The hospital have been very good, the nurses have been very good, but we were concerned when we were told there wouldn’t be a neurologist there.

“With Mark and the way his condition is, he is gradually getting weaker – it wasn’t right for there not to be a neurologist there. We haven’t had any contact.”

Mr Schwamm has been volunteering for the Salvation Army for the past 30 years, and is credited with raising more than $1 million for the charity.

Salvation Army Auxiliary Lieutenant Roderick Brown described him as a man with a generous heart, motivated to help others.

“He truly is an inspiration in his own way of doing that,” he said.

Ms Mehegan said her son’s condition started to deteriorate earlier this year after his medications began to affect his liver.

“He had to be taken off that medication and put on new medication, but they can’t seem to get it right,” she said.

“We thought he might be in there [hospital] 10 days, two weeks or three at the most and then all sorts of different things have happened to him since he went in there that has escalated it.

“Now he is just laying there. He is being fed intravenously and has a drip in the arm for antibiotics.

“He is unable to move himself in the bed, he has lost his strength altogether. So it has been pretty heartbreaking.”

Dr Archer will be the first full-time neurologist at the LGH since the departure of Dr Kurien Koshy in June last year, after more than six years in the role.

A second full-time neurologist Dr Aaron De Souza, who is currently completing a period of supervision at the Royal Hobart Hospital, is also expected to commence a full time position at the LGH in 2019.

On Wednesday Mr Ferguson confirmed there would continue to be locum coverage provided at the LGH to ensure ongoing care was available for patients, prior to Dr Archer’s commencement in January.

However, Deputy Labor Leader Michelle O’Byrne said the amount of locum neurologists coming through the hospital had led to an inconsistent level of care.

“We believe the new neurologist will start in January after being promised in March this year, but what we do know is that the amount of locums we have had come through has meant an inconsistent level of care, with patients not knowing day to day whether or not they are going to have the same neurologist treating them,” she said.

“That has a significant impact on patients and clearly a significant impact on families.”

Mr Ferguson said Labor needed to stop spreading fear in the community around neurological services.

“The fact is the recruitment of two neurologists at the LGH comes after decades of neurology drought in the North, having between zero and one practitioner,” he said.

“It means access to services for North and North-West patients will be massively improved as these neurologists will be able to function as a unit, rather than sole practitioners.

“This is a huge, historic service boost for the North and North-West and a real win for the local community – the first time ever that there will be this level of permanent service provided in the North.”