New pressure on dialysis unit | Gympie News | Local News in Gympie

Bill Bull, Gillian Robinson, Maryborough Hospital Lobby Group President Greg Freeleagus, Rose Casey, Glynn Turner, Dialysis at Maryborough secretary Anne Maddern, Lorraine Reid and David Gibson are putting pressure on the State Government with a 8000-signature dialysis petition.

Craig Warhurst

MARYBOROUGH dialysis patients, forced to travel to Gympie for treatment, have presented Member for Gympie David Gibson with what will be the biggest paper petition presented to Queensland Parliament so far this year.

A spokesperson for the patients yesterday accused Queensland Health of putting increasing pressure on Gympie Hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit with the transfer of patients from Maryborough for treatment.

Secretary of the Dialysis at Maryborough group Anne Maddern said the group had presented the petition with a whopping 8298 signatures, calling on Queensland Health to establish a dialysis unit at Maryborough Hospital.

“David has kindly offered to present this petition to the Queensland Parliament,” she said.

“We have been campaigning for some time for dialysis in Maryborough but now that Queensland Health has begun to transfer patients to the Gympie Hospital we sought the support of your local member in our fight.”

Mr Gibson said he had concerns for the health and wellbeing of Maryborough patients who had to travel and for the increased pressures this would place on Gympie Hospital resources.

Maryborough Hospital Lobby Group president Greg Freeleagus said the cost of transporting patients to Gympie could fund the provision of a dialysis service at Maryborough Hospital.

“A conservative estimate is that the transport costs to Gympie exceed $200,000 a year. This is money that should be spent in providing a local dialysis instead of transport,” Mr Freeleagus said.