 |
| Original News Release |
|
| Original News Release |
|
· The provincial government is working with its health-care partners to expand renal dialysis services, as part of its Rural and Remote Health Initiative.
· Renal dialysis services are life-support services; without a kidney transplant, renal patients are forever dependent on the long-term therapy of dialysis to survive. Dialysis is a filtration therapy that eliminates waste products from the blood when the kidneys fail.
· As elsewhere across North America, kidney disease rates in B.C. are growing. In B.C., the growth rate in renal dialysis patients is 10 to 14 per cent, due to a higher population of older patients and a growing rate of diabetes. This compares with a Canadian average growth rate of eight per cent per year.
· Currently, 2,000 British Columbians are on dialysis – more than double the 995 patients five years ago. About 70 per cent receive hemodialysis, primarily in community clinics or hospitals, while the rest perform peritoneal dialysis at home.
· As a member of the Provincial Health Services Authority, the B.C. Provincial Renal Agency is responsible for co-ordinating and funding the care of people with kidney disease within the health regions. The agency works with teams of renal caregivers throughout the province – doctors, nurses, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists and representatives of kidney patients – to respond efficiently to this growing epidemic.
· The agency has co-ordinated plans for units and set guidelines for care. For the first time, the agency also gathers electronic data on patient records in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. These advances have enhanced the quality of life of British Columbians with kidney disease and contributed to their having the highest survival rates in Canada.
· The Ministry of Health Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Provincial Renal Agency and Northern Health are providing funding for the Northwest Dialysis Unit in Terrace. The $1.4-million cost included $900,000 for construction, $350,000 for equipment and $150,000 for consulting, testing and contract management.
-30-
| ||||||||||||
