$262,808 in funding was provided for a new water filtration plant to improve treatment for haemodialysis patients and to provide fourteen new renal dialysis treatment chairs.
In 2006 the San provided over 7300 treatments to over 50 patients aged from their early 30’s to their 80’s. Renal dialysis can be required as a result of kidney failure resulting from conditions as varied as diabetes or vascular disease, to trauma to the kidneys or hereditary diseases. Unfortunately the number of patients requiring renal dialysis is growing at an estimated 6% each year. The San’s unit expects to provide over 7,800 annual treatments in coming years.
Paul Clerici was first diagnosed with deteriorating renal function at the age of 36 after the death of his father inspired him to be tested for polycystic kidney disease. After six years of tri-weekly renal dialysis Paul received a transplant in June 2006. When this transplant failed he returned to the pattern of dialysis on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week.
Glenda Finlayson says that after an active life of teaching small children being chair bound does take some getting used to. Her deteriorating renal condition was treated with medication for many years until her health declined and renal dialysis became necessary.
San Renal Dialysis Unit Medical Director Dr Paul Collett says public support maximises the quality of healthcare being delivered to the renal failure patients being dialysed each day.
“Haemodialysis or blood cleansing is literally keeping my patients alive” said Dr Collett. “Patients are connected to the machines for up to five hours a day three days a week. The treatment exposes them to thirty times the water a normal person would be exposed to each day – therefore the purity of the water, the ability to remove levels of toxins that unless removed could cause bone disease, dementia or anaemia is critical. It is great that the San has taken the initiative to again provide the best equipment that enables me to ensure patients’ safety, health and wellbeing is maximised.”
