Former Coonamble primary school tutor Lyal Robert Kennedy began dialysis for kidney disease around March this year.

He's lived in Coonamble for 27 years, so naturally he'd prefer to do it there. But while the local hospital has the equipment, it no longer has staff trained to perform it.

That forced him to drive to Dubbo three times a week for five weeks, where he had his blood taken out, cleaned, then put back in, by special machinery. 

"It's wear and tear on me, and probably my car," Lyal said. "When you're on dialysis, you've got to sit in a chair for five hours and then you come home and you don't feel like doing anything because you're so tired."

"You probably just have a bit of lunch and go and have a lay down or something."

The 67-year-old switched to having treatment in his birth town of Walgett, where he has family he can stay with. He's been doing it there for three weeks now and comes to Coonamble on Saturdays, returning for the next week of appointments on Mondays.

"I'm lucky that I've got somewhere to stay in Walgett, that I don't have to come back every day and drive over," Lyal said.

Still, he misses out on time with family and friends in Coonamble, including six grandkids.

He’s not alone. 

 Another Coonamble local, Ken ‘Skell’ Hunt, is weighing up his options after an operation in April this year to have his left kidney removed. 

“Ken just had his kidney out only four weeks ago. He had cancer in the kidney and they took it out,” Ken’s partner Mary told The Coonamble Times earlier this month. 

“They told him that if his kidney, this right kidney, stays at what it is, and his blood pressure and sugar and all that stays alright, he may not have to have the dialysis.

 “If it drops anymore, he’s definitely got to go on the dialysis. So we’re just in the process of getting all that ready.”

 Mary said they may opt for home dialysis rather than travel to Dubbo or Walgett.

A Western NSW Local Health District spokesperson told The Coonamble Times staff resignations this year had left Coonamble Multi-Purpose service without staff to safely perform dialysis. 

"Following a number of nursing resignations this year, there is not a sufficient level of appropriately trained staff to safely operate the dialysis service. As a result, the dialysis service has been temporarily suspended while we undertake recruitment to the vacancies," the spokesperson said.

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused to patients and their families and thank the community for their patience and understanding. We can assure the community the District is committed to reinstating dialysis services at Coonamble as soon as possible.

"In the interim, if patients in the Coonamble area require dialysis, our teams will ensure they are able to receive ongoing dialysis care.

"Dubbo Health Service’s Renal Unit provides training and education for patients undertaking home therapies including peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis, and support can also be provided through specialist outreach clinics.

"WNSWLHD is extensively recruiting to nursing vacancies from both within Australia and from overseas, with incentives applied to advertised positions under the NSW Government’s Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme.

"Recruiting and retaining the required healthcare workers, including registered nurses, in rural and remote areas remains a long-standing challenge not just in Western NSW, but across the entire state and country."