Page 3980 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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MR COE: Minister, have you modelled the impact on the public health system of the possible loss of insurance contracts?
MS GALLAGHER: No, we have not. We are concerned about it, and I certainly contacted Calvary Health Care the minute I heard the announcement that they made via media release and sought reassurances from them about the work they were doing to resolve it, which they provided. It is a relatively small component of their overall work across the country, but my reading of it is that it would be slightly larger here in relation to the Defence fund in particular, which you would think would have more of an impact here, disproportionately to the rest of Australia.
We are certainly concerned about it and we hope that the two parties can resolve it. I am just trying to recall whether I have signed off the letter yet or signed off a draft to Minister Dutton, with his responsibilities for regulating the private health insurance area, to ask him to keep his eye on it and do what he can to resolve it, as there are no powers available to the ACT government to intervene or resolve it in any way.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, are you doing enough to support private hospitals in the ACT?
MS GALLAGHER: Here is another example of Mr Hanson talking down the health system again.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Yes, we are. We have very much supported the extension and expansion of the National Capital Private Hospital. Indeed, we are working with them very closely around that development and in terms of securing Calvary to continue to invest in the private sector.
It is a big issue. I know it is one of the issues that have been raised in relation to a concern that was aired in the paper: a gentleman who waited four days for his collarbone to be repaired at Canberra Hospital. One of the issues which are not understood across Canberra is that, if you break a bone in Canberra, you come to Canberra Hospital. If you break a bone in the region and it needs surgical repair, you will come to Canberra Hospital. No other hospital mends broken bones. So it does place pressure on Canberra Hospital.
You are not going to attract the level of private coverage here that you would see in larger cities because of the nature of the work for the private specialists. Part of what we are doing is building up our capacity in the public system, which will flow on to the private system. Certainly, the interest from Calvary to expand their private offerings, and indeed National Capital Private Hospital actually doing what we would like others to do in expanding their service offerings, are most welcome.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
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