I remember having a chuckle when I first drove down Banna Avenue and saw the big thermometer sign announcing how much had been raised towards the “community private hospital”. There’s an oxymoron if ever I’ve seen one.
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Thanks to the generosity and support of the people of Griffith, more than $1 million was raised to go towards this vital piece of health infrastructure. However, I’m left wondering about the true value to the community.
With complaints to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman at a 12-year high and premiums continuing to skyrocket, you’d think the last thing we want to do is make it easy on a private hospital operator by helping pay for their equipment. If I wanted to rent out a shop on the main street, no-one would be offering me free desks and shelves.
The number of private hospitals is increasing as our population ages and governments seek to minimise their costs. Clearly, health is a good business to be in. Better still when the cost of admission gets waived.
To be clear, I don’t have a problem with St Vincent’s Health Australia seeking to raise money to cover the cost of fit-out. If I could raise money to cover the cost of my bills I’d do the same. However, it’s hard not to wish the recent donations went to a public facility for everyone’s benefit instead of a private business. They’ll look after us though, right?
-STEPHEN MUDD
