More than 120 people from across the country will come together next week for the second National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce (NIKTT) Gathering, a landmark event focused on improving access to kidney transplantation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, carers, and community members will sit and speak alongside non-Indigenous nephrologists, heads of renal units, and health system leaders and discuss how to create better pathways to transplantation and equitable care—ensuring that decisions about kidney health are shaped by the people most affected.
NIKTT's National Community Engagement Coordinator, a Kaurna, Narungga, and Ngarrindjeri woman Kelli Owen, a kidney transplant recipient herself, said the event "is about making sure people with lived experience of kidney disease are at the centre of the conversation, not just as voices in the room, but as equal contributors in shaping solutions".
More than half of the attendees are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, carers, and clinicians who are coming from all corners of the country – from Badu Island and Kalkarindji to Kununurra and Wilcannia.
They will bring lived experience and leadership to the forefront of discussions on kidney health and transplantation equity.
Doubling in size since its first iteration, the Gathering has evolved to include a dedicated "mob-only" day, providing a culturally safe space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander attendees to connect, share, and lead discussions.
Hosted at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), the Gathering will focus on advancing the future of transplantation equity, honouring the stories that shape NIKTT's work, and laying the groundwork for the next phase of this important journey.
For the second time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dialysis patients from remote and regional communities will be supported to attend, with dialysis provided throughout the event using the Rural Support Service (RSS) mobile dialysis truck which will be parked at Kanggawodli, a culturally safe accommodation and support service for Aboriginal patients.
The RSS truck will ensure that those undergoing treatment can participate fully in the Gathering while continuing their care.
Central Attendees at the first NIKTT Gathering in 2022 Adelaide Local Health Network are also supporting the event by dialysing two interstate patients who usually would dialyse in their homes at the Hampstead Home Dialysis Unit.
Kidney disease disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are far more likely to experience end-stage kidney disease yet face significant barriers to transplantation.
The Gathering will bring together patients at every stage of the kidney journey—those with a transplant, those waiting for a transplant, those on dialysis, people in pre-dialysis stages, paediatric kidney patients, and their families—alongside community leaders, health professionals, and policymakers.
Ms Owen said: "This is about making sure care is done with Community, not to Community."
"When we come together, we share experiences, we share solutions, and we share a vision for going forward," she said.
"We're connecting strong links across the country so that we're a united voice in addressing the government and showing what we're living with every day of our lives."
Hosted by NIKTT February 18-20, the Gathering aims to provide a platform for knowledge sharing, storytelling, and collaborative action to ensure better kidney health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
