Kidney Health Week 24th May - 31st May 2008
Kidney Health Australia today said Chronic Kidney Disease was
responsible for the highest number of hospital visits to public
hospitals in Australia.
In 2005 / 2006 one third of all admissions to public hospitals
was due to dialysis, 2000 each day of the year.
In Australia in 2005/ 2006 public hospitals visits related to
kidney disease was 731,000 out of a total of 2.215 million
admissions. New South Wales headed the list with 217,300 visits;
Victoria 216,300 visits; Queensland 113,000 visits; Western
Australia 68,700 visits; South Australia 53,000 visits; Northern
Territory 35,000 visits; ACT 17,900 visits and Tasmania 12,400
visits.
Anne Wilson CEO of Kidney Health Australia said,
there is increasing pressure being placed on staff, resources and
health budgets as Chronic Kidney Disease continued to grow with the
average of 6.5 persons a day going onto dialysis, blowing out the
health budget for dialysis alone at $1 million a week.
"Australia's renal units are being presented with more
patients, more complex issues and will need more resources to cope
with Australia's ageing population in the future."
Ms. Wilson used Kidney Health Week to praise the outstanding work
being carried out in Australia's two hundred and forty seven renal
units who look after their patients three times a week and who
inevitably get to know them, their families and carers well because
of the extended treatment time which can be several years.
'We as a community owe a great deal for the work performed by all
staff in our hospitals and at Kidney Health Australia we are
constantly aware of the kindness and compassion of hospital staff to
kidney patients and their families as they undertake dialysis three
times a week."
Ms. Wilson said that there is no known cure for kidney disease
and people on dialysis are on a waiting list for transplants which
on average can take between four to seven years.
Media Enquiries:
Anne Wilson, CEO Kidney Health Australia
Mobile: 0400 165 391
Dr Tim Mathew, Medical Director Kidney
Health Australia Mobile: 0416 149 863
Ron Smith Media
Communications Kidney Health Australia Mobile: 0417 329 201
Media Note:
A complete list of local renal units with
contact phone numbers is available on the Kidney Health website Click
Here. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page choose your
State and all Hospitals with Dialysis Units are available including
contact phone numbers.
We ask you consider visiting your local renal unit to make people
aware of the valuable work being carried out local renal units.
Ron Smith Media Communications Manager Kidney Health
Australia
(03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201
