Pressure on dialysis patients eases

THE space crisis facing dialysis patients at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick abated last night after additional capacity was put in place elsewhere in the region by the Health Service Executive.

Patients from the Mid-West will now be able to get dialysis in Tullamore, Tralee and Galway until extra capacity is put in place in Limerick.

A HSE spokesman said this move will cater for the immediate needs of new renal dialysis patients in the Mid-West. “This will be an interim measure pending the introduction of a local solution in Limerick. The HSE regrets the inconvenience caused to patients through the non-availability of a local service, but is working to address this as soon as possible.

About 170 new patients need to go on dialysis each year.

They usually have three treatment sessions a week and many will require treatment indefinitely, or a kidney transplant.

The spokesman said: “The HSE recognised that there has been an increasing demand for renal services in recent years. The National Renal Strategic Review has recently been completed and is due for publication in the near future.”

Over the past number of years service provision has been expanded to meet the increasing demand for dialysis nationally by way of expanding existing hospital units and by contracting additional capacity in the private sector. Last year, funding for 10 new treatment units was provided at Cork University Hospital and these are due to open later this summer.

A new 17-treatment unit is being opened in the Midlands as part of the hospital capital development in Tullamore.

These units are due to open before the end of this month.

Substantial investment has been made in Beaumont Hospital with the establishment of a living donor programme which will result in 15 living donor transplants being undertaken this year.

Funding for a new home dialysis service has also been provided.