Finally, moves are made for Tumut dialysis

THERE were more encouraging signs for Tumut dialysis patients yesterday with a meeting held to discuss a location for a self-care renal unit.After five months sitting on its hands, Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) has finally started to make good on promises it would better the situation for patients who regularly have to travel to Wagga for dialysis.Last week the Tumut Dialysis Committee (TDC) was rewarded for its persistence with promises of a vehicle and support driver to transport patients from Gundagai, Tumut and Adelong.The next step for patients who are clinically suitable to undertake their own renal dialysis, but prefer not to dialyse at home, is a self-care unit at Tumut Hospital and that too took a leap forward at a meeting yesterday.The meeting involved a specialist doctor and renal clinicians from the ACT Renal Service as well as representatives from TDC and GSAHS, in which suitable locations for the self-care unit were discussed.TDC chairman Albert Manning described the progress made in the past week as "promising".