A Labor election promise of a 12-chair haemodialysis centre to be established at Maroondah Hospital by the end of 2007 is still no-where near completion, says Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

The haemodialysis centre was announced by the then Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike on October 12, 2006 just weeks before the last State election and almost two years on, patients in Eastern metropolitan are still waiting for the government to lay the first brick, said Mrs Shardey.

In a media release Ms Pike said we would expect that around 48 patients would be able to utilise the new centre once it is up and running by the end of 2007.

We are now almost six months into 2008 and all that is visible at Maroondah Hospital is a vacant lot.

The Brumby Government has not set a completion date and yesterday in Parliament the embattled Health Minister skirted around answering the question on the haemodialysis centre.

Minister Andrews was clearly kept in the dark on this project and appeared to be unaware of any commitment that his government had made in 2006, reinforced by his flustered response in Parliament.

The state government’s inaction and broken promise is causing increased stress on patients living in the outer eastern suburbs needing dialysis, who will continue to drive for hours to access their medical treatment.

This facility was supposed to make the lives of patients from Maroondah, Yarra Ranges and surrounding areas easier, offering them the convenience of access to dialysis services closer to home, but clearly the government’s priority is self-preservation.

In what is fast becoming the Brumby Government’s trademark of a glitzy launch with extra spin and not much substance, the embattled Minister launched Kidney Week with the usual fan-fair, neglecting the real day to day crisis faced by Victorians, said Mrs Shardey.

The location of the vacant block earmarked for the haemodialysis centre is located in Ware Cresent, Ringwood East opposite Maroondah Hospital.