January 23, 2020
Province Announces Dialysis Services Expanding in Dauphin
– – –Enhanced Access Builds on Other Recent Investments Across the Province: Friesen
An additional 12 spaces will be added for dialysis patients at Dauphin Regional Health Centre, enhancing access to life-saving treatment for residents in the community and Parkland region, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced today.
“Our government is committed to ensuring services that bring care closer to home,” said Friesen. “By increasing the number of spaces for dialysis patients in Dauphin, we will ensure more people living with kidney disease or failure have better access to the care they need, when they need it.”
Two trained renal staff have been hired to support the addition of an evening shift at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, expanding weekly patient capacity to 36 from 24. The additional spaces will become available on March 1. The expansion represents an annual investment of approximately $300,000, the minister noted.
Approximately 14 per cent of Manitobans live with kidney disease and about one-third of them may develop kidney failure in their lifetime.
“We know the number of area residents living with end stage kidney disease is increasing,” said Penny Gilson, chief executive officer, Prairie Mountain Health. “We are responding to this increased demand by continuing to plan prevention initiatives, deliver co-ordinated services and allocate appropriate resources to enhance access to service within the health region.”
Hemodialysis uses a machine to remove blood from the body, clean it and then return it to the body. Peritoneal dialysis cycles a solution into and out of the stomach through a tube to collect and get rid of waste and fluid.
“As Manitoba’s rates of kidney failure continue to rise, expanding these services means more Manitobans will receive this vital treatment as close to home as possible,” said Dr. Mauro Verrelli, medical director of the Manitoba Renal Program. “At the same time, we continue to work alongside partners and care providers on efforts to prevent or delay kidney failure when possible.”
The new initiative aligns with Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, which provides a roadmap for changes that will decrease travel and wait times for patients, bringing improved health-care capacity closer to home.
It also builds on a $5.2-million investment to provide critical life-saving services for up to 72 patients and support staff in a number of communities including Winnipeg, Thompson, Swan River, Hodgson, Pine Falls, Portage la Prairie and at the Boundary Trails Health Centre (Morden/Winkler). That investment will create up to 57 additional positions, including nearly 30 nurses, a majority of which have already been filled, Friesen said. He added, in total, this investment will add an additional 9,672 hemodialysis treatments each year.
The province has also invested $500,000 to expand the home dialysis programs in Brandon and Winnipeg. A 22-station hemodialysis unit at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg is also being constructed that will support up to 132 patients when at full capacity. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2021, the minister noted.
For many people, early detection and treatment of kidney disease can help prevent or delay kidney failure or the need for dialysis. Learn about kidney health and the Manitoba Renal Program at www.kidneyhealth.ca/.
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