South Australian Labor MLC, Irene Pnevmatikos, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022 and is now calling on the state government to provide more dialysis beds in regional areas.
In an interview with ABC News, Ms Pnevmatikos said she has to have dialysis three times a week after her kidney was removed.
She’s now using this personal experience to push the SA Government to do more for people with renal dysfunction and said a lack of dialysis beds in regional areas was a key concern because they could fill up quickly.
“It’s a priority, as far as I’m concerned,” she told ABC News.
At current there are only six beds in Mount Gambier, SA’s second largest city.
Ms Pnevmatikos said the number of South Australians needing dialysis had doubled over the past 20 years to about 14,000 but the number of beds they could use hasn’t.
The Member of the Legislative Council also said there should be state funding for a Big Red Kidney Bus in SA, similar to the buses driven around NSW and Victoria.
Source: ABC News
