THE state government is considering outsourcing elective surgeries to the private sector and potentially interstate under a funding deal with the Commonwealth government.Health Minister Michael Ferguson announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services will soon release a tender to establish a panel of public and private surgery providers to treat long-waiting Tasmanians.
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The surgeries will be funded under a $26 million partnership between the state and federal governments.
Mr Ferguson said the patients targeted would be those who were on waiting lists but had not been scheduled to receive their surgery in Tasmanian public hospitals.
''It is expected that the establishment of a panel of elective surgery providers will provide the capacity to undertake significant volumes of surgery, well beyond what can be achieved in our public hospitals,'' Mr Ferguson said.
''With our public hospitals operating at capacity, this additional funding to utilise other providers gives us the chance to reduce waiting lists and get people the help they have been waiting for.
''It is possible that interstate providers may be able to assist Tasmanian services in doing this and obtaining participation from interstate as well as Tasmanian providers allows us options if Tasmanian services are unavailable.''