KEY POINTS:
Counties Manukau has a new renal centre to deal with unprecedented demand on services because of diabetes.
A quarter of New Zealanders who are receiving dialysis for kidney failure, which often occurs in the later stages of diabetes, live in the region.
Counties Manukau District Health Board chief Geraint Martin says the number of people in his area being diagnosed with diabetes is growing and the centre will help to deal with projected demand.
Mr Martin says people receiving dialysis require up to three sessions a week lasting four to six hours and the 14 stations at Middlemore Hospital are operating at full capacity.
The new renal centre at Manukau Super Clinic provides the health board with a further 28 dialysis stations.
Mark Marshall, clinical head of the department of renal medicine at Counties Manukau District Health Board, says New Zealand has a generally high rate of renal disease but this is exacerbated in low socio-economic communities.
"Managing these patients is expensive and difficult but this is a population who, when properly treated, can have a good quality of life."
Half of Counties Manukau's 437 dialysis patients are able to run treatments at home and Dr Martin says the board hopes to help more people do the same.
But for the large number who have to come in to the hospital for treatment, the new centre provides a comfortable and efficient system, he says.
Dr Marshall says the new renal centre, which is more centrally located than Middlemore, demonstrates proactive management of kidney disease and is built with the patients in mind.
"It will provide them a dignified service in a safe way."
The board runs a "Let's Beat Diabetes Programme" in schools, churches and community centres but Dr Martin says it must also help the people who already have the disease to live as normally as possible.
Health Minister Tony Ryall will open the centre today.
