Dozens of hospital workers in the South Australian city of Mount Gambier are preparing to swap their staff uniforms for spandex as they put on a Bollywood Ball.
The Indian-themed extravaganza on October 14 is in aid of raising money for the region’s only renal dialysis unit.
Nurse Unit Manager Nebu Mathew says the facility needs an upgrade.
“This is the only renal unit within the South East region, and it needs an upgrade because of the increasing client demands.”
“At the moment we have been screening about 200 patients with chronic renal failure, who will need dialysis at some point in the near future.”
William Pearson, a patient who receives dialysis several times per week, says the existing facility is cramped and crowded.
“Your wife can’t even come and talk to you, sit with you, because there’s no room,” he says.
With the multi-billion dollar New Royal Adelaide Hospital now open, he’s concerned country areas have missed out on health spending.
“That’s where all the money’s been spent, in Adelaide, which is unfortunate, because we definitely need facilities upgraded here, too.”
Fundraising coordinator Maureen Klintberg says it will take about $1.5 million to upgrade the unit.
She says country South Australians have a history of fundraising for their hospitals, but says a project of this scale should be backed by government funding.
“One will always anticipate that government funding will never meet all our wants, as such, or needs, but one would only hope that is for pieces of equipment, not for life-saving treatment.”
However Mathias Wichmann, a general surgeon at the hospital, welcomes the community engagement.
“There are no hard feelings about it,” he says.
“If you can motivate your environment and your community to help, I think that’s a good thing.”
Country Health SA Chief Executive Maree Geraghty said in a statement she acknowledged the need for more local dialysis services.
There's concern counry areas have missed out in funding. Source: SBS World News
“We acknowledge there is a growing requirement for local renal dialysis services in the future, and are working towards meeting this need.”
“We welcome the fantastic community fundraising work being led by the Mount Gambier Health Advisory Council, which will support the expansion of the size and capacity of the current renal dialysis unit.”
Independent state MP for Mount Gambier, Troy Bell, told SBS Wolrd News by email the renal unit is operating under “less than ideal conditions”.
“The staff at the Mount Gambier Hospital are to be commended as they work in cramped conditions, which has no area for them to do their paperwork, and infection control is marked by a yellow line on the floor.”
He said fundraising activities should be used to “top up services, not to fund multi-million upgrades, which should be the responsibility of the government.”
South Australia’s Health Minister has been contacted for comment.
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