In damning letter co-signed by 45 specialists from western Sydney,south-western Sydney and Nepean/Blue Mountains local health districts (LHDs),the doctors warn there is “not enough capacity and resources to provide basic haemodialysis treatments to patients who need them to stay alive”.
“Due to lack of capacity,we now have patients in the community as well as in our hospitals waiting for excessive periods of time to commence dialysis treatments,” the letter,dated July 30,says. “Soon we may be forced to deny these life-sustaining treatments to patients who need them to stay alive,or to choose patients who can stay on haemodialysis while others die. We are not prepared to do this.”
The letter says the clinicians are providing haemodialysis treatments at levels seen in the developing world,where “patient outcomes are universally poor” as a result of “years of underinvestment in dialysis infrastructure and services” in the three health districts.
One in six Australian dialysis patients is treated in western and south-western Sydney,the letter says,and more than 300 patients need to start treatment across the three local health districts each year “to stay alive”.
“As detailed by our National Dialysis and Transplant Registry,we have the highest numbers and most relentless growth of dialysis patients,compared to any other state LHDs,” the letter says.
As of May 30,there were 127 patients who had their treatment reduced to twice-weekly instead of the standard three times a week,52 patients had the duration of their treatment time reduced beyond recommended levels and 92 patients were forced to travel more than an hour each way three times a week to “sustain their lives”.