DIALYSIS MACHINE TO BE INSTALLED IN YANDEYARRA COMMUNITY

Yandeyarra Community Development Officer Lena Mackey. Credit: Supplied.

In the Pilbara, a mining company will establish a dialysis machine for the Yandeyarra Aboriginal Community.

Yandeyarra Community Development Officer Lena Mackey said Mineral Resources will fund the machine to be set up at the local Medical Centre.

Ms Mackey said nurses will support dialysis five days a week and the machine will be a great benefit to the community.

“At the moment, people have to drive three times a week into Port Hedland in order to receive dialysis care,” she said.

“[For their] family and their carers, it really occupies a lot of time, so having one in community will really free up a lot of their time.”

Ms Mackey said Mineral Resources will operate a lithium mine for decades to come at a location 40 kilometres from Yandeyarra.

“[Mineral Resources are] starting to see Yandeyarra as quite crucial to their employment pool,” she said.

“They want to support Yandeyarra to thrive because that’s also going to help to increase the Aboriginal employment [and] support Aboriginal people to live and work on country.”

Listen to Ms Mackey talk about the dialysis machine and other new initiatives for the community, including the repoening of the local store and a new fuel bowser.