Dialysis decision drags on

Discussions have been taking place since December after HNE Health’s reverse decision to keep the Nita Reed Dialysis Centre in Taree open.     

Pulse Health’s chief executive officer Phillipa Blakey said during a recent meeting, HNE Health had suggested potentially downscaling dialysis services at Forster hospital.     

“We said that’s likely to be unviable for us or won’t meet the needs or expectations of the community,” she said. 

“If they reduced services then it wouldn’t be a fully fledged unit. But it’s not an offer per say, they are trying to find ways to make it work.”  

Ms Blakey said other options that had been put on the table were expanding existing services such as publicly funded surgery, chemotherapy or oncology. 

“In my view the most important thing is that there is a wider range of services available without people having to travel,” she said.  

“I would hope we’d get to some sort of resolution sooner rather than later.”

The new unit, which is almost complete, is fitted out to accommodate six dialysis chairs.

Hunter New England Health chief executive Michael DiRienzo didn’t say whether dialysis services would be downscaled but said the six people in the Great Lakes requiring dialysis treatment would “receive the care they need locally now while allowing for future growth in line with community demand” under HNE Health’s current proposal. 

“We recognise this is an important issue for the community and hope to reach an outcome in the near future.”

Cape Hawke Community Hospital and Health Association President Roger Lynch was reluctant to say too much about the issue but is remaining hopeful.

“We are feeling a little more confident that there will be some form of dialysis in Forster but our particular concern is the utilisation of the half a million dollar dialysis unit we are in the process of completing. That's still very much up in the air."

Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead said he would be campaigning to make sure Forster receives the dialysis services it needs.  

“I’ve said it right from the start. I’ll be fighting to make sure Forster has public dialysis chairs,” he said. 

“I don’t think Ms Blakey should be disclosing anything until an outcome has been reached. It is my understanding that Pulse Health are due to make a decision this week or next.”

Myall Lakes Labor candidate, Dr David Keegan said the decision to keep the Nita Reed Centre open had created a dialysis “debacle” for Forster. 

“We wanted to keep that centre (Nita Reed) open but then it looked like Forster missed out and that’s never what the people of Taree wanted,” he said. 

“I believe Forster needs a dialysis unit just as much as Taree does. It’s not fair to make sick people travel. We need services that are equitable for patients.”