Warnbro renal dialysis patient campaigning for mobile Kidney Health Australia renal dialysis bus in WA

A Warnbro renal dialysis patient has started a fundraising campaign for a mobile dialysis bus to be stationed in WA, which would enable patients to take much-needed holidays. Christine Beard, who has kidney failure and has been on dialysis for six years, is running a fundraising campaign to fund a Kidney Health Australia Big Red Kidney Bus for WA. The organisation has buses on the road in Victoria, NSW and Queensland which travel to regional towns to provide holiday makers and residents with dialysis services. Ms Beard used one of the buses while on holiday interstate several years ago and is passionate about giving WA dialysis patients the same experience in WA. “Even if it’s beyond my time (when the bus is available), there’s other people that could use it,” she said. “If it doesn’t come before I die, at least other people can use the bus. There’s a lot of people that can’t go away.” Kidney Health Australia chief executive Chris Forbes said he started discussions with WA Health about the possibility of getting a bus in WA about six months ago. Mr Forbes said the bus was a long-term possibility and would enable WA dialysis patients to have a holiday, with the bus potentially travelling to regional destinations including Mandurah, Bunbury, Margaret River, Albany, Esperance and Broome. “It would be a godsend for many of them because there is a crisis of capacity in dialysis chairs across Australia,” he said. “It’s really hard to just to get your normal treatment, let alone having a chair come up available the week you could go and have a holiday — it’s just really, really difficult to happen. “The smiles on their faces is incredible when they actually get away with families, because these are lifetime memories that they just can’t have at the moment.” The buses are bought second-hand and then custom-fitted to provide dialysis treatment onboard for between $800,000 to $900,000. Mr Forbes said he was “positive” a bus could become a reality for WA but it needed assistance from the State Government and local hospitals to operate, as well as ongoing funding to keep it on the road. “I’m confident that once we get it up and running, we can fundraise locally to keep it on the road,” he said. Ms Beard held a morning tea fundraiser earlier this month which raised $1000 for the cause and will continue with other fundraising events later in the year. A North Metropolitan Health Service spokesperson said they had been contacted about the introduction of a mobile dialysis clinic by Kidney Health Australia. “Providing appropriate access to renal dialysis services is a priority for the WA health system and we are looking at ways to increase capacity,” the spokesperson said. To donate to Ms Beard’s online fundraiser, visit https://bit.ly/3v8UjbN.