Townsville to host second kidney transplant centre

BY ALF WILSON

PATIENTS from the Torres Strait, NPA and Cape York who require kidney transplants will soon be able to have the surgery at Townsville University Hospital instead of travelling to Brisbane.

It will be the second kidney transport service in Queensland after Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) submitted a detailed business case to the Department of Health to provide the life saving surgery.

North Queensland Kidney Transplant lead Dr Michelle Harfield said there were higher rates of dialysis here in North and Far North Queensland, but lower rates of transplantation due to the geographic burden travelling to and from Brisbane has on northern Queensland patients.

“This is something we know will change by having a kidney transplant service based here in Townsville,” Dr Harfield said.

“We also know a disproportionate number of dialysis patients are First Nations people, and we are committed to creating a service that is culturally welcoming and safe to ultimately increase kidney transplants for First Nations people.”

She said the completion and submission of the business case was the next step toward delivering kidney transplants for North and Far North Queensland patients closer to home.

“We are very proud of the finished product which is the result of collaboration with community members and colleagues from across the health system to design a service specifically for northern Queensland patients,” she said.

“The service will treat local patients as well as those from communities across North Queensland including Cairns, Mackay, Cape York, Torres Strait

Islands and Mount Isa.”

After being on renal dialysis for more than five years, Susie Anderson knows first hand the impact renal dialysis can have on a person’s life.

“A lot of people don’t understand the big impact dialysis has on all areas of your life, including your physical and emotional health and your family,” Ms Anderson said.

Ms Anderson received a kidney transplant in 2014 which unfortunately failed in 2020 and has been on the waiting list for a new kidney, an ultimately