Kidney disease hitting one in 66 Australians
Kidney failure hits one in 66 Australians every year with the annual cost estimated to increase to $900 million by 2010.
Kidney Health Australia (KHA) has described the figure as a health crisis and has condemned the Federal Government for not recognising kidney failure as a chronic disease.
KHA’s chief executive, Anne Wilson, said the disease now affected 16% of Australian adults.
“The current health policy in Australia is fundamentally flawed by not recognising it as a chronic disease category and putting it under the diabetes category.
“This fails to recognise that 70% of kidney disease is not related to diabetes,” Ms Wilson said.
The Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, said that there were no Government plans for change but “if people put up a persuasive case it will get a hearing”.
