Renal Services Network

Co-Chairs: Paul Snelling and Denise O'Shaughnessy

Each year in Australia approximately 2000 people are newly diagnosed with renal failure, 7600 people receive renal dialysis, and 6000 people are living with a transplanted kidney.

The prevalence of patients on dialysis is growing by approximately 5% annually, partly caused by the increasing incidence of diabetes. This has led to a greater demand for both dialysis and transplantation services. Some illnesses cause temporary renal failure, however there is no recovery from chronic or "end stage" renal failure. In these cases the only treatment is regular dialysis or kidney transplantation.