UK Petiton for more dialysis capacity

[rose1999]

Hi,

I just wanted to let members in the UK (or ex-pats) know that there's a petition on the Downing Street web site

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Dialysis/

it's asking the PM to provide sufficient Dalysis capacity to enable patients to Dialyse away from their home unit, so as to enable people to go on holiday (possible but not easy) an/or visit relatives in another area.  Anyone in, or from, the UK  PLEASE sign up.

Thanks everyone
Love
Rose

[KICKSTART]

Done 

[stauffenberg]

In the Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms, there is an entrenched right to freedom of travel.  I wrote to the health minister of my province to complain that there are so few dialysis facilities, and it is so difficult to arrange a stay at one as a guest, that the right to travel is effectively denied to diallysis patients.  The result: no reply!

In 1998 I had to go to England to participate in an academic conference in Cambridge, so I contacted various dialysis units in the area which accepted guest patients.  The usual reply I received was "Give us your name and telephone number; we'll put you on a list, and when a place becomes available sometime in the next one to four months we'll call you and tell you when you can come."  I pointed out that with the need to arrange flights and hotel accommodations in advance this process for securing a dialysis treatment center made things impossible, but there was no interest in my problem.  The only way I could attend the conference was by arranging for it at a private facility run for rich people by the Kuwaiti government in London.  The need to travel back and forth from London to Cambridge meant that I missed half the conference, however.  We dialysis patients are definitely second-class citizens.

[Zach]

In 1998 I had to go to England to participate in an academic conference in Cambridge, so I contacted various dialysis units in the area which accepted guest patients.  The usual reply I received was "Give us your name and telephone number; we'll put you on a list, and when a place becomes available sometime in the next one to four months we'll call you and tell you when you can come."

I've travelled to England a few times and had no problems scheduling hemodialysis.  I went to one of the many private dialysis clinics in London and Blue Cross paid the whole cost, though since it was for work, my company could have paid the freight.
 

[rose1999]

Sincere thanks to those of you who have signed.  Yes there are private clinics in London, but not everyone wants to spend their holidays in London, particularly the elderly.  There are also a very few private units around the country, but fitting your break around where they are and when they are available isn't easy, it also restricts where you can go -  and getting into an NHS one is about impossible.  Dialysis patients should be able to enjoy a holiday where they want and when they want.

Please continue to support the petition if you are able and willing.

Thanks  everyone.
Rose

[Zach]

Dialysis patients should be able to enjoy a holiday where they want and when they want.

Absolutely!

[Sluff]

Hope someone listens. Great that some people are getting involved.

[livecam]

In 1998 I had to go to England to participate in an academic conference in Cambridge, so I contacted various dialysis units in the area which accepted guest patients.  The usual reply I received was "Give us your name and telephone number; we'll put you on a list, and when a place becomes available sometime in the next one to four months we'll call you and tell you when you can come." 

Thats funny, in 2000 I wanted to go to London and looked for a unit on www.globaldialysis.com.  I found several units of interest and decided that the unit at Cromwell Hospital would work best.  I spoke with their travel coordinator Mohammed Drameh by phone who assured me that the dates I wanted would be no problem.  We were all set to go until as we typically do we changed our minds and went to Germany instead.