IKA survey: The number of people receiving kidney dialysis has risen by 63 per cent in the past three years, according to a survey by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA). The IKA is calling for an investment of €15 million in kidney and pancreas transplantation over the next five years.
The association says that while there were 678 patients on dialysis in 2001, this figure had lept to 1,106 at the end of June this year.
Writing in the most recent edition of the association's magazine, Support, IKA chief executive Mark Murphy said that in the period since 2001, "the number of dialysis stations in the public health service has increased by a meagre 19". This represents an increase of 16.5 per cent.
"This situation has resulted in dialysis units now working through the night in some areas, causing severe discomfort to the patients," he continued.
Although more stations, due in the next few months, will alleviate the situation, he said these would be operating at full capacity immediately.
Mr Murphy said the financial benefits of transplantation - apart from the emotional and quality-of-life benefits to the recipients - "are obvious". The cost per session of dialysis was, he said, €435, or about €68,000 per patient a year.
He is urging the Minister for Health, Ms Harney, to follow Spain's lead in investing in ICU transplant co-ordinators in hospitals, who would be trained in the asking and managing of potential donor families.
Spain has a transplant rate of 48 per million of population, compared with 33 per million here.
Norway, which also does living transplantations, carried out 87 last year - a rate of 19.25 per million of population. If that rate was repeated here, said Mr Murphy, we would have had 77 such transplants. Currently, we have none.
If we had both systems in place here, there could have been 136 more transplants carried out here last year than the 133 that were, said Mr Murphy.
He said if Ireland embraced the Spanish and Norwegian systems and invested €3 million a year in transplantation over the next five years, it would "bring the Irish kidney transplant total to 200 per year, saving lives and the State a fortune".
