Our Position – National Private Price

Private hospitals are an essential part of the Australian healthcare system. There are around 650 private hospitals in Australia, ranging from large metropolitan hospitals providing a full range of tertiary services through to small, day-only facilities that specialise in only a handful of procedures. Most elective surgeries performed in Australia are undertaken in private hospitals. The private sector also provides specialist mental health care to patients who would otherwise not be able to find care in the public system.

The private hospital system plays an important role in the broader health system — it relieves pressure from the public system and increasingly provides services to public patients on behalf of states and territories. The private hospital system also provides choice of doctor, shorter waiting times and additional amenities such as a private room in most cases.