Men’s shed donates to hospital dialysis

The haemodialysis unit at West Gippsland Hospital has a special place in the hearts of the Drouin Men's Shed with long serving member Bruce Carne relying on the unit’s lifesaving treatment each week.

Bruce visits the unit for five hours three times a week where a dialysis machine filters his blood - a function that his kidneys can no longer do.

An increase in the number of people seeking dialysis services in Baw Baw Shire prompted West Gippsland Healthcare Group this year to introduce an extra afternoon service to enable more people to receive dialysis locally rather than travel to Melbourne for treatment.

Drouin Men’s Shed president Kevin Roberts said when the members heard what the hospital was doing to accommodate the additional people, including Bruce, the group embarked on a fundraiser to support the unit and thank the hospital.

“We pooled the money we had raised through the year and did another call out to members and raised $2500.”

Operations manager Bernie McKenna thanked the Drouin Men's Shed for their generosity.

"This donation has enabled the haemodialysis unit to purchase a new mobile crash cart which is used to attend to patients in an emergency situation.

Donations such as this make a big difference to our operations and the healthcare services we provide,” she said.

Mr Roberts said the Drouin Men’s Shed was passionate about supporting the local community.

The men’s shed has 120 members made up of men of different ages and backgrounds who meet weekly to connect, share skills, experiences and contribute to their community.