No excuse for Victorian elective surgery blow out

15 November 2019

No excuse for Victorian elective surgery blow out
The Victorian Health Minister has 'no excuse' for allowing a budget cut that will lead to a blow out in
elective surgery waiting times in the state, says Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) CEO
Michael Roff.

Commenting on reports in today's Herald Sun that suggested at least one hospital will face a 98 percent
jump in its elective surgery waiting lists as a result of the cut, Mr Roff said public hospitals had created a
rod for their own backs.

"Despite seasonal factors like a bad flu season, public hospitals still actively pursued privately insured
patients rather than prioritising the public need.

"Victorian public hospitals are continuing to recruit privately insured Australians to use their private health
benefits in the public system. In turn, the public hospital puts them ahead of the waiting list for public
patients who have no other means to access health care.

"About one in eight Victorian public hospital beds are occupied by privately insured patients. In year ending
30 June 2019, there was a minuscule reduction of 0.8 percent in health insurance benefits collected by
Victorian public hospitals compared to the previous year, indicating collecting private revenue is still the
priority, not public patient need."
"If the Victorian Health Minister was serious about ensuring public patients were not disadvantaged, she
should have demanded that public hospitals transfer insured patients to the private sector so waiting lists
did not blow out during periods of increased seasonal demand.

Mr Roff said that the Victorian public hospital system is so addicted to private patient revenue they are
willing to let public patients suffer on ever increasing waiting lists to feed their addiction, rather than putting
patients first.

"But it's not just me saying it. Victoria's own Auditor General identified this as an issue in June, prompting a
review. The report highlighted a perverse set of circumstances where Department of Health and Human
Services' policy settings have led to practices against the interests of an efficient system and put patients
last.

"This practice has become the norm across many states and it is Australia's public patients who are
suffering as a result," he said.

-ENDSMedia contact: Frith Rayner, Director Communications and Marketing, 0413 971 999

The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) is the peak industry body representing the private hospital and day surgery
sector. The private hospital sector treats 4.5 million patients a year, including treatment of a third of chemotherapy, 60 percent of all
surgery, 74 percent of all elective musculoskeletal surgery and 80 percent of rehabilitation.

Level 3 /11 National Circ, Barton ACT 2600. PO Box 4502, Kingston ACT 2604. [T] 02 6273 9000 [F] 02 6273 7000
[E] [W] www.apha.org.au [FB] ValuingPrivateHospitals [Twitter] @priv8hospitals
ABN 82 008 623 809

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