6 more Hongkongers with chronic kidney disease to get dialysis treatment at home, Hospital Authority says
Training centre will teach patients with renal failure how to use dialysis machine
A haemodialysis training centre opened in April at United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong will enable six more chronic kidney disease patients in Kowloon East to receive the treatment in their homes this year, the Hospital Authority announced as part of its annual plan for the group of hospitals in the area.
The service was first introduced to public hospitals in 2006, and the training centre is the fifth one to open under the authority.
Home haemodialysis allows the treatment - which removes waste from blood for patients whose kidneys are unable to do so - to be carried out in homes for around six to eight hours every other night as required while a patient is asleep.
If the procedure is done in hospital it requires a patient to be there three times a week for around five hours each time. Home treatment therefore minimises discomfort and the impact on patients' lives.
"It's much milder, as we can use the entire night to release water and toxins," said Dr Sunny Wong Sze-ho, a consultant at the hospital's department of medicine and geriatrics.
Patients pay around HK$1,100 to HK$1,300 a month for home treatment, with the remaining costs borne by the authority. Dialysis machines have been donated by the Kidney Foundation and the Jockey Club.