Fresenius Medical Care, the world's leading provider of dialysis products and services, has announced the further enhancement of support for home dialysis patients in Western Australia.

Celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the Fresenius Kidney Care Spearwood Dialysis Clinic in Perth this year, Fresenius Medical Care has expanded the facility with the addition of three home dialysis training rooms. The new training rooms enable the center to provide greater support for patients to suit their individual needs, delivering on the company’s ongoing commitment to local and remote communities in the state.

In Western Australia, there is a wide geographical dispersion of dialysis patients. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the remote and very remote areas of Western Australia have chronic kidney disease (CKD) hospitalization rates (other than a hospitalization for dialysis) that are 2.6 times higher than those in major cities. Additionally, Indigenous Australians are 5 times as likely to be hospitalized for CKD (excluding hospitalization for dialysis) and are 3.6 times as likely to die from CKD as non-Indigenous Australians. How to provide better patient-centered support and treatment for people living with CKD in these areas is a critical issue of health access in Australia. Fresenius Medical Care has been working with local healthcare professionals, authorities and communities to help address this issue.

Fresenius Kidney Care Spearwood Clinic has been providing life-sustaining dialysis treatment for local people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for 10 years. With the enhanced facilities, the clinic is able to provide adjunct services including home dialysis, respite care, training and education support. The new facilities at the center were officiated in a plaque unveiling ceremony on 24 October 2019 by His Worship Logan K. Howlett, JP, Mayor of City of Cockburn and Harry De Wit, President and CEO, Fresenius Medical Care Asia-Pacific.

For ESRD patients who are on hemodialysis, it is very likely that they need to adjust their lifestyle so they can receive treatment three times a week in a dialysis center. This can be particularly challenging if they are living in a remote area and may force some patients to leave their communities to live closer to the urban areas where dialysis facilities are usually located. With the right training, education and support, patients can receive quality treatment in the comfort of their own homes. This offers patients more flexibility and may mean they are able to stay with their families in their own communities.

Harry De Wit said, “This is why Fresenius Medical Care is committed to providing more diverse and comprehensive support to patients in Western Australia, with a strengthened focus on advanced home therapy options. The expanded Spearwood clinic realizes our vision to provide better support for patients in remote areas. Moving forward, we hope that this model can be transferred to other parts of Australia and countries in Asia-Pacific, where home therapies can make a genuine difference to the lives of people who need dialysis.”.

Long-term patients of Fresenius Kidney Care Spearwood Unit were invited to attend the ceremony and celebrate the milestone of the Clinic. Joe Davey, a hemodialysis patient who has been with the clinic for 10 years since it was opened, was happy to see the upgrade of the facility. He said, “The atmosphere between the staff and the patients here are wonderful. The staff take good care of me even when sometimes I get apprehensive. The upgrade of the facility not only means there will be more room for more patients to be here to receive the quality treatment and care like I do, but also it allows the staff here to extend their reach and care to more patients who opt for home dialysis options.”

In Western Australia, Fresenius Kidney Care provides services and care for approximately 300 home patients in five satellite centers. To enable the patients to live their lives to the fullest in the lifestyle they choose, nurses of Fresenius Kidney Care in Western Australia also travel up to thousands of kilometers to support and care for the home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients.