Increased Commonwealth funding for public hospitals

Health Minister Keith Wilson said today he was confident there would be additional funding for public hospital services in the coming Federal budget.

Mr Wilson was commenting on his return from Canberra following a meeting with the Federal Health Minister, Brian Howe. 

"I went to Canberra to meet Mr Howe in response to suggestions that some additional Federal health funding would be used to contract services for public patients from private hospitals to ease problems with waiting lists," Mr Wilson said.

"I put an alternative proposal to him based on any new funding going to public hospitals which I believe would be more appropriate for Western Australia and would help both to enhance the public hospital system and achieve increased efficiencies.

"I am pleased to say that our discussions were positive, and I expect to make a detailed announcement about the proposal shortly.

"I am also pleased to say that, as a result of our meeting, Mr Howe evinced a new willingness to place private health insurance on the agenda for further discussion during the renegotiation of the Medicare agreement with the States.

"I urged Mr Howe to draw on the extensive experience available in the private health insurance industry, and to establish a national think-tank to develop proposals to improve the capacity of private health insurance to help meet the demand being placed on the Australian public hospital system and achieve the best possible value for money.

"I believe it is clearly evident that private health insurance and private hospitals must be part of any equation to ensure that Medicare is able to deliver equitable and needed health care for all Australians."