Dr LIM - 2000-05-11
Earlier this week we heard much media commentary and discussion on talkback radio about the adequacy or otherwise of cardiac care in Darwin. With National Heart Week being celebrated this week - and I hear the Minister for Corporate and Information Services noting the cardiac care - the National Heart Foundation has called for additional cardiac services in the Territory. Can the minister advise what services are currently available for Territorians with cardiac problems?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it has long been a vision of this government to make sure that the health services that are provided to Territorians are at least akin to those that you can access in other states. It has taken a long time to get here because, particularly since we took over since self-government, there was a paucity of services provided by the private sector. We know the ‘private’ word is offensive to those opposite. However, we think that the way forward for Territory Health is to make sure that we forge some very strong bonds with the private sector and encourage them to provide services where they can render a profit and send the bills to insurance companies, as opposed to them being done in the public sector.
We have done an enormous amount of work to make sure that the private sector sees the Territory as an attractive place to provide services. We have tried to forge some good bonds with our next door neighbour at the Royal Darwin campus, the Darwin Private Hospital. I am happy to inform the House - during a particularly appropriate week as pointed out by the member for Greatorex, National Heart Week - that we are about to embark on an agreement between Territory Health Services, Northern Territory Cardiac Services and Health Scope. This agreement will provide a joint venture for a very important service, coronary angiography services, and that’s a cardiac catheterisation service. It might seem that this is a fairly obscure thing, but I can assure this House that some 325 Territorians who are estimated to require the service have to fly to Adelaide at the moment.
In managing our health budget, we know what the unit costs are, and we know what the costs are for a particular occasion of care. We know that if we go to private providers and tell them that they can set up at that unit cost, there is a bonus for the Territory, and the bonus is a social bonus in that people do not have to fly south. There is also a cash bonus as we are not paying Ansett or other airlines to fly people to the other end of the continent.
I am pleased this morning to announce that there will be a joint venture. The venture has been announced in principle, and I hope that we can sign off on it shortly. It has a lead time because the equipment has to be purchased. It is very scientific equipment. It does not obviate the need for all patients with coronary problems to go interstate, but it does mean that those patients who can be treated here for this particular intervention can be treated. It is yet another step in this government forging bonds with the private sector. It is another step in making sure that, not only do patients have choice, but the Territory has a service that hitherto you had to go some thousands of kilometres to access.
I can assure patients that notwithstanding its private provision - it will be located in the Darwin Private Hospital - it will be accessed by public patients. We will make sure that we have a capacity for public patients to access the service. We are also looking to a no-gap arrangement in regard to privately insured patients. This is to provide an incentive for privately insured people who have the social responsibility of looking after their health, to the extent that they carry private insurance to access that service without a gap.
I commend the various venturers in it, the private providers and the Darwin Private Hospital. It indicates yet another signpost on the road to better health for Territorians.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it has long been a vision of this government to make sure that the health services that are provided to Territorians are at least akin to those that you can access in other states. It has taken a long time to get here because, particularly since we took over since self-government, there was a paucity of services provided by the private sector. We know the ‘private’ word is offensive to those opposite. However, we think that the way forward for Territory Health is to make sure that we forge some very strong bonds with the private sector and encourage them to provide services where they can render a profit and send the bills to insurance companies, as opposed to them being done in the public sector.
We have done an enormous amount of work to make sure that the private sector sees the Territory as an attractive place to provide services. We have tried to forge some good bonds with our next door neighbour at the Royal Darwin campus, the Darwin Private Hospital. I am happy to inform the House - during a particularly appropriate week as pointed out by the member for Greatorex, National Heart Week - that we are about to embark on an agreement between Territory Health Services, Northern Territory Cardiac Services and Health Scope. This agreement will provide a joint venture for a very important service, coronary angiography services, and that’s a cardiac catheterisation service. It might seem that this is a fairly obscure thing, but I can assure this House that some 325 Territorians who are estimated to require the service have to fly to Adelaide at the moment.
In managing our health budget, we know what the unit costs are, and we know what the costs are for a particular occasion of care. We know that if we go to private providers and tell them that they can set up at that unit cost, there is a bonus for the Territory, and the bonus is a social bonus in that people do not have to fly south. There is also a cash bonus as we are not paying Ansett or other airlines to fly people to the other end of the continent.
I am pleased this morning to announce that there will be a joint venture. The venture has been announced in principle, and I hope that we can sign off on it shortly. It has a lead time because the equipment has to be purchased. It is very scientific equipment. It does not obviate the need for all patients with coronary problems to go interstate, but it does mean that those patients who can be treated here for this particular intervention can be treated. It is yet another step in this government forging bonds with the private sector. It is another step in making sure that, not only do patients have choice, but the Territory has a service that hitherto you had to go some thousands of kilometres to access.
I can assure patients that notwithstanding its private provision - it will be located in the Darwin Private Hospital - it will be accessed by public patients. We will make sure that we have a capacity for public patients to access the service. We are also looking to a no-gap arrangement in regard to privately insured patients. This is to provide an incentive for privately insured people who have the social responsibility of looking after their health, to the extent that they carry private insurance to access that service without a gap.
I commend the various venturers in it, the private providers and the Darwin Private Hospital. It indicates yet another signpost on the road to better health for Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016