Dialysis Unit at KPH to be Upgraded

Minister of Health, Horace Dalley, has said that during the current financial year, the government intends to upgrade the Renal Dialysis Unit at the Kingston Public Hospital, as well as procure 16 new dialysis machines, to provide better medical treatment for persons affected by kidney disease.
“There is a great need to expand the dialysis services in the island to manage this debilitating condition,” Mr. Dalley said during his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 19).
The Health Minister said it is estimated that kidney disease affects some 327 persons per million in Jamaica each year and at present, only 160 patients are receiving dialysis services at the Kingston Public and Cornwall Regional Hospitals.
In the meantime, Mr. Dalley told the House of Representatives that there is a shortage of trained personnel in nephrology to staff the island’s renal units. He noted that the recent launch of the Nephrology Nursing Programme is expected to increase the number of trained nephrology nurses in the island by four.
This programme will also expand training for the establishment of another renal unit at the Mandeville Regional Hospital.