Haemodialysis service cares for patients, close to their homes
The new Phillip Island Community Hospital will have six chairs, saving islanders from having to travel to Wonthaggi.
A ward at Wonthaggi Hospital is providing life-sustaining care to 21 patients from across Bass Coast every week, saving them the time, energy and money of travelling to dialysis services in Melbourne.
The new Phillip Island Community Hospital – due to open in late 2024 – will have six chairs, saving islanders from having to travel to Wonthaggi.
The haemodialysis ward at Wonthaggi hospital provides about 3276 treatments a year, cleaning toxins from the blood of patients with end-stage kidney disease.
The patients sit for five hours, three times a week, while their blood is filtered by a machine that fulfills the function of kidneys.
Haemodialysis nurse unit manager Sky Martin said patients range in ages from 42 to in their eighties.
“You develop professional relationships with your patients because they come here three times a week, year after year, and the relationship is built on trust,” she said.
The ward operates Monday to Saturday, and is the only service of its kind in Bass Coast.
