Before coming to Flin Flon to tour the new Emergency Room at Flin Flon General Hospital Tuesday Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minister Cameron Friesen were in Thompson.  They announced the expansion of dialysis services in six communities including Thompson in the Northern Health Region. In Flin Flon Friesen explained dialysis in Thompson will expand to accommodate an additional six patients and that means more nursing jobs, it means more people can stay at home and that’s an important point.  He says there was previously people going to Winnipeg leaving their communities in order to receive this life giving service and there will be more people as a result of this investment able to get that care at home in this facility at Thompson Hospital.

Friesen says about 14 percent of Manitobans live with kidney disease and about one third will develop kidney failure in their lifetime.