法新社╱郭美瑜 2009-04-01 

(法新社法國波爾多1日電)搭船遊地中海,探索挪威的峽灣,或拜訪古文明的著名景點,這是一般人的夢幻之旅,但人一旦罹患腎臟病,這樣的夢想就可能幻滅。

來自法國城市麥次(Metz)的72歲婦人喬津(Josette Georgin)說:「醫生告訴我需要洗腎的那一天,我以為再也無法旅行。需要洗腎,就好像坐在沒有欄杆的監牢裡。」

接下來她發現洗腎病友的郵輪之旅。

這種洗腎航程,是由位於波爾多的Gerard PonsVoyages旅行社與豪華郵輪公司歌詩達(Costa Cruises)共同推出,一年有15航次,船上有配備齊全的洗腎診所。這樣的服務,為不斷增加的洗腎患者提供難得的機動性與珍貴的自由。

根據英國腎臟病資源中心(UK Renal Registry)統計,英國每年有2萬多人洗腎,法國和義大利的洗腎人口還要更高一些。隨著人的壽命愈來愈長,全球洗腎患者以每年8%的速度成長。

開始洗腎的平均年齡是65歲,剛好是許多退休的人開始旅行的時候,不過,也有許多較年輕的洗腎患者,永遠無法享受旅行的自由。(譯者:郭美瑜) 



我不喜歡最後一句...
這樣翻譯好像年輕洗腎就很悲哀似地~
有看過一些報導 其實有些年輕的腎友利用腹膜透析,一樣可以出國遊玩!

原文是說But there are also many younger people on dialysis who will never know the freedom of travel.
我會覺得把know翻譯成"體會"比較妥當(我不是幹翻譯這行的,我只是就個人感觀去看中文字意)

如果要說他們無法"體會"旅行的自由我還同意,因為得花一些時間在透析上,較不方便
但很難說他們並不"享受"喔
我反倒覺得腎友會比一般人更珍惜旅遊的時光!

另外,我也有找到這一篇的原文稿(很長喔...)
http://www.thesmartset.com/news/news04010902.aspx



Dialysis patients go cruising
1 April 2009 - 2:09 a.m. EDT



BORDEAUX, France (AFP) - Sailing the Mediterranean, exploring the fjords of Norway or visiting fabled sites of ancient civilization — these are dream vacations that can shatter when kidney disease strikes.

"The day the doctor told me I would need dialysis, I thought I wouldn't be able to travel any more," said Josette Georgin, 72, from the French city of Metz. "To have dialysis, its like being in a prison without bars."

Then she discovered dialysis cruising.

Dialysis cruises, organized by the Gerard Pons Voyages travel agency in Bordeaux in partnership with the luxury line Costa Cruises, offers 15 trips a year with an onboard fully-equipped dialysis clinic, providing rare mobility and precious freedom for the ever-growing population of dialysis patients.

According to the UK Renal Registry, over 20,000 patients receive dialysis every year in Britain. The figures are slightly higher in France and Italy. Across the world, as people live longer, the number of dialysis patients increases by eight percent a year.

The average age for starting dialysis is 65, just when many retirees begin traveling. But there are also many younger people on dialysis who will never know the freedom of travel.

One family took their 16-year-old on dialysis for a dream family vacation. A young couple, the husband on dialysis, celebrated their honeymoon, and another couple feted their five-year wedding anniversary.

The nature of the disease makes travel potentially dangerous. People undergo dialysis when their kidneys fail, and cannot purify their blood. Functioning kidneys purify blood every day, all day long.

A patient typically undergoes dialysis three times per week, each session lasting several hours. Without dialysis, they will die.

© AFP
Tourists undergo dialysis aboard ship
© AFP/File Vincenzo Pinto
Should they travel, the logistics of arranging for dialysis in a different hospital, let alone a foreign country, are daunting enough to keep them at home. To travel, they need complete faith in the people overseeing their logistics and healthcare.

Gerard Pons, the industry leader in dialysis cruises, and Anne-Caroline Leurent, his dialysis cruise expert, inspire such confidence.

Pons came up with the idea of onboard dialysis over 20 years ago when talking to a friend who is a nephrologist. On the one hand, he wanted to offer luxury travel, and on the other, he needed an irreproachable dialysis service.

Costa Cruises offers some of the most popular itineraries in the industry — and three ships that have onboard hospitals spacious enough to host a temporary dialysis clinic.

The clinics are managed by Fresenius, known for manufacturing dialysis units, operating dialysis centers and coordinating dialysis sessions for travelers. Fresenius supplies top-of-the-line equipment and a medical team, including a nephrologist and three nurses. There are four dialysis units on each cruise, allowing for 12 patients.

Despite the economic crisis, Leurent reported that places are fully booked on cruises scheduled for the first half of 2009. She has had one cancellation from a Briton whose bank crashed, but someone on the wait list quickly snapped up his spot.

The lure of secure medical care in the morning followed by a jaunt to Mt. Vesuvius in the afternoon keeps demand high.

"When I'm onboard, its very luxurious," said Georgin, who has already taken all of the offered cruises and plans more. "I forget that I have dialysis. I am on vacation and the dialysis is only a small part of the trip, four hours, three times per week."

Extra care is taken to schedule the treatment around excursions, and the onboard crew also takes care to integrate the dialysis patients into the regular crowd. "Onboard, no one knows Im dialyzed, apart from the medical staff," said Georgin.

This is important as vacations provide an escape from daily life, and these cruises allow dialysis patients to enjoy a holiday like everyone else.

© AFP
A tourist receives dialysis aboard
© AFP/File Vincenzo Pinto
Health insurance is naturally an issue. The final cost to the customer for onboard dialysis depends on their national health service.

For the French, the cost normally falls within the limits covered by the French national health service, making it no more costly to dialyze on a cruise ship headed to Helsinki than back at home in Lyon.

For British customers, the NHS (National Health Service) does not always cover the cost of private care dialysis, and each hospital has its own policy.

When Pons saw that 30 percent of his dialysis clients came from Britain, he formed a partnership with Lisa Parnell, owner of Dialysis Holidays in Boston, England.

Parnell began her business after working several years in a hospital haemodialysis unit. "Its really nice to make dreams come true for people who have a medical condition," she said.

Travel insurance presents another challenge.

Dialysis patients have a pre-existing disease so are not covered by regular travel insurance policies. Pons overcomes this obstacle by offering a policy that covers dialysis travelers and their families and costs just 20 euros more than a regular policy.

Meeting the needs of his special clients has paid off for Pons. The niche market generates 800,000 euros for his 6.5 million-euro travel agency.

With Fresenius scheduled to open a dialysis clinic in Dubai, Pons hopes to offer a dialysis cruise to the United Arab Emirates in 2010.

What is the reaction from their clients? "Theyre excited," said Leurent. "They want to go to new places." •


arrow
arrow
    全站熱搜

    不務正業小藥師 發表在 痞客邦 留言(1) 人氣()