NSW authorities are working to bring home a nurse from Newcastle who suffered brain damage and kidney failure after drinking a contaminated cocktail in Lombok, Indonesia.
Jamie Johnston, 25, has spent the past three weeks in intensive care after ordering a jug of arak - a rice wine drink mixed with fruit juice - on her final night on holiday in Lombok.
The batch was contaminated with methanol, a toxic chemical often used as an anti-freeze or in paint, Fairfax Media reported.
Ms Johnston has been left with brain scarring and renal failure and she has since been unable to move or talk properly.
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner on Wednesday said authorities were working to have her airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where she works as a nurse.
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She is currently undergoing tests in Darwin to determine whether she is fit to travel.
"I understand she might be able to travel by the end of the week and I'm trying to assist in getting that travel organised," she told ABC Radio.
"This is really important to get (her) back home, to treatment you trust, close to family and friends."
Ms Johnston doesn't have travel insurance, with her mother reportedly paying $45,000 to have her flown back to Australia from Bali.
"I think it's a tragic case, it could happen to anyone," Ms Skinner said.
"(It should be) a warning to people: if you drink or eat anything or you're sick when you're travelling, seek immediate help.
"(It happened in) a popular part of Bali, a very popular holiday destination - I love it myself, but you have to be ever so careful."
