Calls for Cobram dialysis unit grow as locals reach breaking point

The Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, has renewed his call for a permanent dialysis unit in Cobram, as heartbreaking stories continue to emerge of locals forced to travel hundreds of kilometres each week just to stay alive.

“Cobram’s dialysis crisis is worsening,” Mr McCurdy said. “Many patients are travelling to Shepparton three times a week just to survive – and they consider themselves lucky. That’s not good enough.”

 With waitlists growing across Shepparton, Yarrawonga and Echuca, Mr McCurdy said patients were now being referred to Melbourne, placing even greater pressure on vulnerable regional Victorians.

 “This is why I’ve been fighting for a six-chair unit at Cobram Hospital. People are exhausted, at breaking point, and still there's no action from the Allan Labor Government,” he said.

 Mr McCurdy praised ongoing efforts by Moira and Berrigan Shire Councils, and the Kidney Support Group Cobram and District, for continuing to push for change.

 “The community is united, the need is urgent, and the government has no excuse left for delay. A dialysis unit in Cobram wouldn’t just support locals, it would take pressure off surrounding areas and benefit the entire region.”

 In February, Mr McCurdy met with NCN Health to discuss the urgent need for dialysis services and has previously raised the issue in Parliament.

 “I will not stop fighting until our community gets the care it needs, close to home, where it belongs.”

 Labor can't manage healthcare, and regional Victorians are paying the price.