Growing demand on renal units

Jannette Parke | 1st January 2010

THE rapidly increasing number of Fraser Coast patients ending up on dialysis following kidney failure has the potential to impact on Gympie dialysis patients.

Gympie dialysis patients fear being shunted down to Nambour Hospital with Fraser Coast patients overflowing to Gympie for their treatment.

Submitted

THE rapidly increasing number of Fraser Coast patients ending up on dialysis following kidney failure has the potential to impact on Gympie dialysis patients.

They fear being shunted down to Nambour Hospital as Maryborough patients overflow to Gympie Hospital.

LNP’s Anne Maddern of Maryborough told The Gympie Times this week that logic seemed to have flown out the window, with some very sick patients being required to travel to Gympie for treatment while Maryborough Hospital remained under utilised.

And the situation is only going to worsen, with Kidney Health Australia predicting a doubling of dialysis patients in the next 10 years.

Mrs Maddern is concerned for the welfare of Maryborough patients, who have been travelling to Gympie three times a week for treatment because they can’t get into the area’s primary renal unit located at Hervey Bay Hospital.

In turn, Member for Gympie, David Gibson is concerned for the welfare of Gympie patients who are likely to be shunted down to Nambour, should numbers exceed existing renal dialysis chairs at Gympie Hospital.

Mr Gibson said the failings of the Queensland health system, after 12 years of Labor’s mismanagement, was now being brought home with Gympie Hospital facing increased pressures in the treatment of kidney failure patients with dialysis.

“The decision recently made to transport Maryborough patients to Gympie Hospital for dialysis is just another example of the failure of this Labor government to properly plan for the future health needs of Queenslanders,” Mr Gibson said.

“We now find that the Hervey Bay hospital is at bursting point due to a failure to provide any future capacity and as a result we are now seeing Maryborough patients being transported to Gympie three times a week for dialysis.”

The bottom line is that there is an urgent need for more dialysis machines and to this end Mrs Maddern facilitated a meeting on December 17 to form a lobby group. Another meeting is scheduled for January 18 in Maryborough.

Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay Health Service District southern cluster manager Jackie Hanson said the Gympie Hospital had some capacity to continue to expand services for local and Fraser Coast renal dialysis patients and the hospital was ensuring renal dialysis chairs were available for Gympie patients at the Gympie Hospital.

“Nursing arrangements have been put in place at Gympie Hospital to ensure the renal dialysis service is appropriately staffed to meet this increased demand,” Ms Hanson said. “The Fraser Coast renal service has recently experienced significant growth in the demand for renal dialysis, a trend that is unfortunately occurring throughout Australia.”

She said Queensland Health was working to address the demand, with the Fraser Coast Health Service recruiting a full-time nephrologist as well as additional nursing staff to treat local dialysis patients.

The District is also working closely with the Central Renal Network and Fraser Coast Kidney Support Group to examine alternative service delivery methods.