KIDNEY Health Australia says it envisages a future where sufferers of kidney disease and failure will not be burdened with the rigours associated with dialysis treatment.
The organisation's 'End dialysis by 2050' campaign calls on the Federal Government, healthcare providers and the community to subscribe to its ambition and liberate sufferers from mental health symptoms such as depression that can develop from regular dialysis routines.
"Dialysis as a treatment is invasive, time-consuming, and has devastating impacts on people and their families," said Kidney Health Australia CEO, Chris Forbes.
"We are pushing for a revolution in kidney disease treatment and support, aiming to give people back their time and their lives.
"Our vision is to bring an end to the burden of dialysis and leverage new and existing innovations."
Forbes called for a united approach to the problem, which is being exacerbated by available dialysis units reaching capacity and demand continuing to rise.
The campaign centres around three key areas - early detection to diagnose kidney disease; innovation through research and industry partnerships to develop new treatments; and increasing living kidney transplants to reduce reliance on dialysis.
Through these measures, Forbes said Australia's dependence on dialysis can end by 2050.
"While other technologies and treatments have advanced enormously, dialysis has barely evolved in decades, and that's unacceptable," he added.
Kidney Health Australia's push comes amid worrying research on the matter conducted for the organisation by YouGov, which showed the number of Australians developing kidney failure is tipped to skyrocket by 42% by 2030.
The sample of 252 adults 18 years and over who are on dialysis highlighted the emotional impact of the treatment, with more than nine in ten experiencing varying levels of disruption to their weekly routines.
Almost half of those polled said their treatment limits the time they can spend with family and friends, with some connected to dialysis for 16-20 hours per week.
Nearly 90% said the government needs to do more to address the emotional challenge of dialysis.
"People would say, 'well you are on dialysis now, so that's good', and I'd think, 'yeah, but you're not seeing all the days where I've had restless legs, I had a breakdown at dialysis, I've spent half of my dialysis crying'," one person said. ML
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