The Village of Kaslo is adding its voice to calls for kidney dialysis to be provided at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson.
“Dialysis needs to be done closer to home for rural areas,” mayor Suzan Hewat said.
“For Kaslo and Area D, there are patients who travel up to three hours depending on the time of year to Trail for services. Sometimes that’s up to three times a week. That’s very onerous on those already in a compromised medical situation.”
Hewat says having dialysis in Nelson would bring those services at least one hour closer and mean less time out of each patient’s day. Without dedicated transportation, some patients rely on families to get them to their appointments, she added.
Hewat said buying the dialysis equipment could be done through fundraising or grants, but the hard part is getting the staff to operate it.
She said it will take the “will of the medical establishment” at Interior Health and the Ministry of Health to recognize dialysis as a priority for rural communities.
“We’re all paying into health care as taxpayers and we need to all be represented,” she said.
Her council recently passed a motion to bring the matter to the next regional hospital district board meeting.
The issue came into greater focus this year when a bus service provided by Nelson CARES ended for lack of funding. Several Nelson patients had to find other alternatives. They were able to find a private operator at an increased cost, but after the proprietor’s death, they were once again left scrambling.
Presently dialysis is available in Creston and Grand Forks in addition to Trail.
Interior Health said it is “not in a position” to open additional community dialysis units, but is exploring options for outreach services to support pre-dialysis patients in Nelson and area.
“We are also working with all patients who need dialysis to determine if home dialysis is an option as it minimizes travel and improves quality of life,” they said.
— With files from Storrm Lennie