Cowra Health Service management are expected to meet with the Young Health Advisory Committee in coming weeks to alleviate concerns over renal services in the region.

Cowra mayor Cr Bill West with a copy of the Young Witness, which mobilised the public to protest against the decision by the NSW State Government to install a satellite renal unit in Cowra, not Young.

Cowra mayor Cr Bill West with a copy of the Young Witness, which mobilised the public to protest against the decision by the NSW State Government to install a satellite renal unit in Cowra, not Young.

Cowra mayor Cr Bill West with a copy of the Young Witness, which mobilised the public to protest against the decision by the NSW State Government to install a satellite renal unit in Cowra, not Young.

Cowra Health Service management are expected to meet with the Young Health Advisory Committee in coming weeks to alleviate concerns over renal services in the region.

A petition circulating in Young, Harden and Boorowa is railing against the state government's decision not to install a satellite-managed renal unit in Young.

Instead, the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which includes the three towns, announced a partnership with the Western NSW Local Health District earlier this month so their patients will be able to access the eight-chair renal unit when it becomes operational in early 2016.

This partnership would complement the community-funded renal service already operating in the town, which allows people to self-administer dialysis.

But Young Shire Councillors reacted violently to the announcement, with Cr Stuart Freudenstein asking whether they should be "knocking doors down to express their disappointment".

Cowra Health Service manager Pauline Rowston still hopes a representative from Young will become involved in the ongoing development of the Cowra renal unit.

She said in Cowra, there are six people currently travelling to other facilities for treatment, with a further 14 people currently on the pre-dialysis database.

"[This] demonstrates a strong need for a local service which can also treat patients from nearby towns," Ms Rowston said.

"We look forward to providing renal treatment services in Cowra to our neighbours from Young so that they no longer need to travel a further distance to Canberra."

Cowra mayor, Cr Bill West agreed with Ms Rowston, saying the renal unit will be an important addition to the chemotherapy and ambulatory care units at Cowra hospital.

He said he was unsure what commitments had been made to Young, but believed the people weren't saying they did not want Cowra to receive a unit.

"Our unit will benefit people in the broader region including Young," Cr West said.

"I can understand [Young's] disappointment but how they fund units is a matter for the relevant health bodies. I hope Young are not seeking a renal unit at the expense of Cowra."

Murrumbidgee Local Health District's (MLHD) executive director of nursing and midwifery Karen Cairney said the combined activity from both Cowra and Young would assist with the sustainability of the Cowra renal service

She said access to Cowra's unit will significantly cut travel times for Young patients driving more than two hours, three times a week to Canberra or Queanbeyan.

"Due to the location of the towns, it is logical for both LHDs to partner up and provide this service to the whole community in the region," she said.

"The eight bed renal unit in Cowra, along with the self-care renal unit based in Young, provides a great outcome for patients across the local area."

Member for Cootamundra Katrina Hodgkinson said she believed the Murrumbidgee Local Health District has looked at the feasibility of establishing a renal care centre in Young.

She said she was hopeful they would continue exploring this concept.

"With an hour drive ahead of them, I know the journey from Young to Cowra may not always be convenient; but it means Young patients will no longer have to continue travelling for two hours to Canberra or Queanbeyan for treatment," Ms Hodgkinson said.

"Looking at the demand for dialysis in the region generally, Cowra was the most logical, convenient location given current demand, allowing fairer access and reduced travel time to more patients across our broader region."

She added changes to the Isolated Patient Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme will mean patients travelling 200 kilometres a week cumulatively can claim 22 cents per litre of fuel as of September - an increase from the current 19 cents per litre.

Construction will begin on the Cowra renal unit in July.

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