Government review over poor dialysis services

The government will be reviewing the services of renal dialysis in Central Australia after it was heavily criticised for sending indigenous patients away from Alice Springs which is much closer to them.

In February, a senior indigenous community leader from Ernabella, in the north of South Australia, had been told she would have to travel to Adelaide for dialysis treatment, despite Alice Springs being much closer.

Following this case, federal Minister for Indigenous, Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowdon said the government review was imperative so that patients can have access to treatment closer to them; this is especially for the indigenous.

According to a research, indigenous people have the highest rate of kidney disease in the world due to poor diet and diabetes.

The increasing cases of kidney patients and the shortage of dialysis treatment in Alice Springs have forced new patients who live just over the border to be turned away.

Mr Snowdon said the study will be completed by the end of this year and would consider how best they could accommodate the patients either through self-care dialysis equipment; provide nurse-assisted or mobile services.

He said that although the study will focus on the Central Australia region in the first instance, it will have an eye to the wider indigenous population.

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