Eileen Kemarre Bonney, 65, is an Alyawarre woman who has been an Aboriginal health worker for most of her life.

In the late 1970s, she was one of the first employees of the Urapuntja Health Service, working out of a bough shelter at Ammaroo Station, 350 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs.

"Everyday at work, I'd check the patients, go around and drop medicine off and I would talk to the doctor on the two-way radio," she said.

"I liked to be a health worker, helping our people, I think it was important for me to look after family."

Eileen went on to work in Aboriginal health at her nearby community of Ampilatwatja, but had to quit a few years ago because of her renal disease.

"I was getting weak and sick, the doctors told me that I'd have to move to town for dialysis," she said.

"My family felt sad when I left, they were worried about me...I miss my family, my children."

Some years ago, $10 million of federal money was earmarked for renal services in central Australia.

But the funds remained in limbo with the Northern Territory government saying it could not afford the associated costs to maintain the services.

In February, Chief Minister Adam Giles said he had spoken to Federal minister Nigel Scullion about the money.

"I had a chat with Minister Scullion about this ... about that $10 million in particular," he said.

"He said he's offered up the $10 million in that area and how can we support that. I've committed to Nigel that we will go have a look and see how we can advance that further."

Since that time no announcements have been made.

Meanwhile, Ms Bonney continues to have dialysis treatment three times a week, and lives at a hostel in Alice Springs with other Aboriginal renal patients from communities all over central Australia.

She said she gets lonely at times but that the other renal patients have become 'like a family'.

More than anything though, she misses her husband, her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.

"We need dialysis out in these communities and I'd like to see my family," she said.

"It's very hard for my kids staying without me in that community, they'd like me to go back there."

(Eileen Bonney is the current Chair of the Ampilatwatja Health Centre Aboriginal Corporation)

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