Naomi Best, a 60-year-old from Port Lincoln, received a two-day notice to commence dialysis due to sudden kidney failure, a condition stemming from her long-standing diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) at age 35. Despite having no symptoms for many years, Naomi’s health dramatically declined, leading her kidney function to plummet to just five per cent by the time she initiated treatment in Adelaide, a seven-hour drive from her home.
During this challenging period, she experienced extreme fatigue, consistent nausea, and a significant weight loss of 20 kilos, making simple tasks, like showering or walking, nearly impossible. Compounding her difficulties was the prolonged uncertainty regarding her return home, as the local dialysis unit lacked available chairs for treatment; there were only four in her facility, necessitating that a spot be vacated before she could be accommodated.
Naomi spent three exhausting weeks in Adelaide, waiting for a chair to become available, while many patients in similar circumstances faced waits of up to six months, highlighting a broader dialysis crisis in Australia. Approximately 15,000 patients are currently dependent on dialysis, a service stretched thin due to understaffed facilities and increasing demand, particularly in rural areas.
The statistics reveal troubling trends; 1.7 million Australians have chronic kidney disease (CKD), with a significant proportion unaware of their condition. While nearly 30% of dialysis units experience operational issues due to insufficient funding and staffing, the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry reports some regions have unacceptably high ratios of patients per dialysis chair—4.7 in the Northern Territory and as much as six in parts of western Sydney.
Patients like Naomi face financial strains and logistical challenges, often needing to travel significant distances for treatment, incurring additional costs for accommodation and travel. Some opt for home dialysis, which poses its own set of challenges; Mary, another PKD patient, described her home dialysis as confining and detrimental to her quality of life, dramatically limiting her ability to care for others and engage socially.
Research indicates that over 80% of dialysis patients endure financial hardship, with many experiencing depression. Experts urge for improved early diagnosis and attention towards preventive healthcare initiatives to alleviate the growing crisis surrounding kidney health. Currently, those awaiting kidney transplants, like Naomi and Mary, often endure lengthy waits, with insufficient organ donation rates compounding their struggles. As they face these challenges, both are left with a stark choice: continue with dialysis or forgo treatment altogether.