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Introduction
RACS position
1. Access to care, in this case elective surgery, should be dependent upon need rather than ability to pay.
2. All patients should be treated within clinically appropriate time intervals.
3. Hospitals should be adequately resourced to ensure that these treatment target times can be met.
4. Patients should not be coerced into admitting themselves as self-pay patients and should have equal access to public care regardless of their insurance or payment status.
5. Consultants should not claim superiority of outcome of consultant performed surgery over registrar surgery as a reason for patients to self-pay.
6. Registrars should be well supervised by consultants at all times.
RACS does not suggest that patients could not choose to be treated privately if they wish. However, it is unlikely that a large number of patients will make this choice if the public hospital system is adequately resourced and appropriate quality assurance is in place. If an individual surgeon or hospital notes that a large number of patients are making this choice, a review of that individual’s or hospital’s practices may well be indicated.
Key issues
Associated documents
RACS Informed Financial Consent Position Paper
RACS Informed Consent Position Paper