"I could barely move, I was in so much pain ... it almost got to the point where I had to crawl there.
"They said they weren't going to see me because I wasn't able to pay."
He said reception staff told him to go to the emergency department at Wairarapa Hospital, where he was treated.
Mr O'Donnell said it seemed like the staff were more concerned about the money than helping him but he said it wasn't the first time.
He said he also felt pressure from Masterton Medical staff to pay his bill of $173, which he does intend to pay.
"Everytime I've gone there, it's second rate ... they keep bringing up 'you do owe money'.
"If you owe them money, they just treat you different.
"Health care is a right," he said.
Mr O'Donnell just received a letter saying he would lose his A1 credit rating if he didn't pay.
He has had to take time off from his job as a parts manager at the Stihl Shop Masterton and go on ACC because of his health.
Masterton Medical manager Paul Cocks said, in a statement, that they couldn't comment on Mr O'Donnell's concerns for privacy reasons.
He said the after-hours service was provided by the Wairarapa After Hours Service set up by the region's GPs, not by Masterton Medical.
"This is a private company which relies on payments on the day to ensure its costs are covered.
"The service does not make a profit and any losses have to be covered by the Wairarapa practices."
He said it had a clear policy of payment on the day prior to consultation.
"If a patient arrives in serious need of medical care such as a heart attack then we will obviously provide care straight away and sort the account out afterwards.
"However, we rely on patient payments to support this service and ensure the cost of providing it is able to be met."
Mr Cocks said Masterton Medical had a policy of payment on the day.
"If there are any difficulties with payments, we have, and continue to provide, options to help patients with their costs.
"All we ask is that there is a genuine effort to pay any and all outstanding balances.
"We follow up each month with payment reminders and phone patients to see how we can help.
"Unfortunately we do have a group of patients who expect service but make no effort to pay or discuss payment options with us.
Mr Cocks said no complaint had been received from Mr O'Donnell.
" ... it is disappointing that we have have not been given the opportunity to respond to his concerns personally rather than hearing about them from the media."
Mr O'Donnell has a meeting with a specialist next month and hopes to be back on his feet soon, but "it's a matter of time".
He is normally active but has had to lie on his stomach for the past few weeks.
He plans to make a formal complaint.
