Health workers lament lack of dialysis machinesPosted Thu Sep 4, 2008 2:40pm AEST
Aboriginal health workers have accused health bureaucrats of "playing God" by failing to provide an adequate number of dialysis units to treat the Kimberley's growing number of renal patients.
Kimberley residents are being diagnosed with end stage kidney disease five times faster than their city counterparts but there are 160 dialysis units in Perth, compared with just 12 in the Kimberley.
A 2007 report co-authored by the country arm of the Health Department found the region is in desperate need of 10 new dialysis units.
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service's chief executive, Henry Councillor, says the shortfall has left up to 30 Kimberley patients stranded in Perth and he wants to know why the department has not addressed the issue.
"Somebody's playing God because we have to wait for someone to either die in Broome before a chair can become available, and I don't think people have the right to play God," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/04/2355461.htm
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