More and better-resourced renal units around the country

With the steadily rising numbers of renal patients and increased pressure on the current system, an increase in the number of renal units around the country is urgently needed.  Even a city the size of Tauranga has a critically under-resourced renal unit with long wait times for dialysis places.  Many dialysis patients feel well enough to work full-time and so require home dialysis or dialysis treatment where they don't have to travel for hours which impacts their daily lives and ability to work. Smaller units in more places will reduce travel and wait times and offer more options for home-dialysis and reduce stress on patients.

Quality of life is incredibly important when you have a chronic condition and so a health system that is more responsive to patient needs and not restricted by under-funding, staff shortages and under-resourcing is critical. The more time I spend in our health system, the more vulnerabilities I see.  The system seems to be barely coping with business-as-usual and will not cope in another covid-type or natural disaster situation which offers no comfort to the people relying on the system.