PURPLE HOUSE CELEBRATES ONE YEAR OF DIALYSIS IN NEWMAN AND PLANS NEW FACILITY FOR BALGO

LEFT: A logo for Balgo’s planned dialysis unit, created by local artists. RIGHT: Balgo artists, some of whom are currently away from country for dialysis treatment, design the logo. Credit: Supplied, Purple House.

In the Pilbara’s Njaburu town, also known as Newman, the Newman Dialysis Clinic celebrated one year of operations last month.

The clinic is funded by BHP and operated by Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service and The Purple House, an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation that provides dialysis treatment in regional and remote areas.

Purple House CEO Sarah Brown AM said the four-chair staffed unit had enabled community members who required renal treatment to return back to country.

“We’ve got eight people dialysising each week in Newman, and of course, everyone has three dialysis treatments a week, so we’re doing about 24 treatments a week,” she said.

“So lots of people got home for at least part of the year.”

The Purple House also recently announced plans to establish a dialysis unit in the Kimberley town of Balgo, with support from the federal government.

“We’ll be able to get at least eight people home to Balgo for dialysis,” Ms Browns said.

Listen to an interview with Ms Brown to find out more: