Rudd Government Could Follow US Congress on

Media Release 30 July 2009

Rudd Government Could Follow US Congress on
National Kidney Health Reform
People with CKD are 20 times more likely to have a heart attack..Prof Allan Collins

The Rudd Government could follow the United States Congress strategy to deal with Chronic Kidney Disease in Australia, Kidney Health Australia said today.

Anne Wilson, Chief Executive of Kidney Health Australia said latest research which shows Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) acts as a multiplier for heart, stroke and diabetes has seen the US Congress commit $100 billion (25%) of its Medicare budget to fight CKD with a national strategy including a pilot program of CKD detection by targeted screening and community awareness programs to limit the expansion of a runaway massive dialysis debt.

Kidney Health Australia is set to release an email briefing video to all State and Federal Members of Parliament, treasury and health bureaucrats on the US situation made at its recent CKD Summit last week featuring an expert in chronic kidney disease clinical and economic outcomes, Professor Allan Collins, Director of the United States Renal Data System, Professor of Medicine University of Minnesota, Director of the Public Health Surveillance System for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Professor Collins also comments on the strategic actions the Australian Government should consider taking given the USA experience.

The email briefing is also being released on YouTube.

At the end of 2007, 9,642 people in Australia were receiving dialysis treatment with the health budget on dialysis blowing out at a million dollars a week.

Dr Tim Mathew Medical Director of Kidney Health Australia said, Dialysis for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is the most frequent reason for hospitalisation. In 2007-08, regular dialysis for CKD was recorded as the principal diagnosis in 989,000 (almost 1 million) separations 12.6% of all hospitalisation in that year.

Ms Wilson said Kidney Health Australia welcomed the review of Australia's ailing health system and believed ultimately the Federal Government like the US Congress would take over the management of CKD under a national chronic disease preventive umbrella.

"Such a system controlled and directly funded by the Federal Government would be able to cut out significant inefficiencies and establish a better and a more sustainable Chronic Disease strategy for Australia.

"This will provide the Rudd Government with an opportunity to actually manage CKD in Australia in a more coordinated and effective manner as opposed to the current fragmented approach."

Ms Wilson said Chronic Kidney Disease in Australia is a major public health threat which needed a significant public health response to cope with the combination of the size of the problem and Australia's ageing population.

1 in 7 Australian adults over the age of 25 years has chronic kidney disease (stage 1-5).

At the end of 2007, 9,642 people were receiving dialysis treatment and 7,128 people were living with a functioning kidney transplant.

Professor Allan Collins
An expert in chronic kidney disease clinical and economic outcomes, Professor Collins is President of the National Kidney Foundation. He is Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. He also serves as Director of the Chronic Disease Research Group of the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation and as Principal Investigator for the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS) Coordinating Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Collins manages all data resulting from the NKF's KEEP screening programs nationwide as the Director of the KEEP Coordinating Center.

Access the Professor Allan Collins Video Briefing

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 National Media Communications Kidney Health AustraliaMobile: 0417 329 201

How much does Kidney Failure cost the Australian health system?
· The best available evidence we have on cost per person per year on dialysis is:
- hospital Haemodialysis - $82,764
- satellite Haemodialysis - $48,631
- home Haemodialysis - $44,739
- peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) - $56,828
· The cost of dialysis in 2006 is estimated to be $646.6 million
· On 2005 figures the cumulative cost of dialysis from 2004 to 2010 is expected to be $4.5 billion
· The cost of a transplant for a kidney recipient in the first year is $65,375 - $70,553.
· The cost for a transplant recipient in subsequent years is $10,749 per annum
· The cost of a live kidney donation in relation to the donor is $8,178
· The cost of a deceased kidney donation in relation to the donor is $3,000
· These costs demonstrate that for every kidney donation, there is a substantial saving to government in relation to the health expenditure.
· The direct costs savings after the first year post transplant would be around $60,000 to $70,000 per annum for each patient receiving a kidney donation.

www.kidney.org.au