§ 2.45 p.m.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many kidney machines are currently in operation in British hospitals, what is the cost of each machine and the average running cost of each machine in any one year, and whether steps will be taken to increase the number of machines available.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD CHAMPION)My Lords, I assume the noble Lord is referring to machines for the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure. There are at present about 110 such patients in Great Britain being so treated. This is a marked increase since the end of 1965, and a further substantial increase in facilities for treatment is expected in the next twelve months. Extra machines can be supplied to meet orders foreseen from hospitals, but the number of machines available is not the measure of the number of patients who can be treated, because more than one patient can be treated on each machine, and because each machine must be backed by other equipment and trained staff, and some machines must be held in reserve by the 426 hospital. The initial cost of a machine with its associated equipment for use in hospital is about £2,000. The annual running cost of treatment is about £2,000 per patient.