People who need life-saving dialysis have a new place to get treatment in Winnipeg.
The Manitoba government marked the start of Kidney Health Month on Monday with the opening of a new hemodialysis unit at Health Sciences Centre.
Hemodialysis is a procedure in which a machine filters wastes, salts and fluid from patients’ blood when their kidneys are no longer able to do it themselves.
“The new hemodialysis unit will allow HSC Winnipeg to accommodate a growing number of individuals receiving treatment for the first time, as well as patients from across the province who have been hospitalized, are receiving specialist care or need ongoing dialysis treatments,” Health Minister Heather Stefanson said in a news release.
The new $6.8-million unit has 22 stations with capacity for up to 132 patients to receive 396 hemodialysis treatments a week, a news release from the province says.
There are 1,845 people with kidney failure receiving life-saving dialysis treatment in Manitoba, including 420 patients on home dialysis, the province says.
An additional 6,475 Manitobans are being treated for chronic kidney disease.
“This bright, state-of-the-art unit will be a significant asset in caring for Manitobans living with kidney failure,” said Dr. Mauro Verrelli, provincial renal specialty lead with Shared Health.
