A new four-chair assisted renal dialysis unit has been completed in the majority Aboriginal community of Kowanyama, marking a significant step in expanding healthcare services for the area.
The first patient, returning from Cairns, is expected to begin dialysis soon, with up to three patients initially able to receive treatment in Kowanyama.
The new facility has been designed to cater for up to 16 patients as demand grows over time.
The $4.755 million unit was built as an extension to the Kowanyama Primary Healthcare Centre.
It includes a renal dialysis unit, consultation and storage rooms, and a state-of-the-art communications room.
Quandamooka woman and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts Leeanne Enoch, emphasised the government's commitment to improving social and economic equity in rural communities like Kowanyama, highlighting the importance of locally determined healthcare solutions and the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners for the new renal unit.
"The Miles Government is committed to increasing social and economic equity, delivering better healthcare, and closing the gap on outcomes for rural and remote communities such as Kowanyama," she said.
"This renal unit is an example of how the people who live in remote communities are best placed to determine and deliver what best suits them and it's wonderful that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners will be recruited and trained to work here.
"Community-led facilities like this are absolutely critical to closing the health gap."
The Kowanyama haemodialysis unit is part of a larger $45.8 million commitment from the Queensland Government to improve dialysis services in regional, rural, and remote areas.
This funding was initially announced as a $27.7 million allocation at the 2020 October election, before being increased to support further expansion.
Iamalaig woman and Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui, noted not all dialysis patients will be eligible for treatment in Torres and Cape HHS dialysis units or able to manage home or self-care dialysis.
"Due to the complexity of their conditions and the clinical requirement for them to have immediate access to highly specialised kidney services that are not available in the Torres and Cape region, there may always be some patients who will need to relocate to Cairns, or another large centre, to access those services," she said.
"But for those deemed clinically suitable, the availability of assisted dialysis services across five health facilities in the Torres Strait, Northern Peninsula Area and on Cape York is a major improvement in their lives."
Under this initiative, new dialysis units have been opened in Ingham and Charters Towers, alongside the expansion of the Bowen dialysis unit.
Further units are planned for Proserpine, Yeppoon, and Longreach.
Additionally, the Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service is receiving funding to double its dialysis capacity from 16 to 32 patients.
To ensure culturally safe and appropriate care, the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service is recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.
These practitioners will receive advanced training in dialysis care and are expected to begin delivering services in the coming months.
The Kowanyama unit is the fifth assisted dialysis unit in the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service region, with others already operational on Thursday Island, Weipa, Cooktown, and Bamaga.
The new unit is expected to play a crucial role in reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment, bringing essential healthcare services closer to home for the Kowanyama community.
