§ Mr. Emeryasked the Minister of Health how many kidney machines, either portable or hospital based, are now available and in use under the National Health Act; how many persons would benefit from being able to use these machines; and how many new machines are now under order for delivery in 1967, 1968 and 1969.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI gave the number of patients being treated in my statement of 8th February and no later figures are yet available. The number of machines available is not known centrally. More than one patient can be treated on each machine and some machines must be held by the hospital in reserve.
Intermittent dialysis is not suitable for all patients suffering from chronic renal failure. Present advice to me indicates that between one and two thousand annually might benefit from this form of treatment.
Intermittent dialysis systems are still at various stages of development and it is not wise to place long-term orders for them; as explained in my statement on 8th February, the conditions governing the rate of growth of this service are the need to recruit and to train staff, and the time to plan and build or adopt specialised accommodation. Arrangements have been made to ensure that machines are available as the units at present planned become operational.—[Vol. 740, c. 1559–64.]