Cross-border healthcare arrangements are under scrutiny after a New South Wales resident believed her husband had been denied rehabilitation treatment in Canberra because of where they lived.
The Googong woman said her husband required rehabilitation after major spinal surgery for a tumour, but a proposed transfer to the University of Canberra Hospital was rejected. Travelling to Goulburn, the next suggested option, was not practical for the family. Other NSW residents subsequently reported similar difficulties accessing Canberra-based treatment.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said Googong and Queanbeyan were within the Canberra health system’s catchment and NSW patients should not be rejected simply because they lived across the border. She said miscommunication or a clinical decision about the most suitable treatment pathway may have caused the confusion.
About 25 per cent of patients treated in the ACT come from NSW. Monaro MP Steve Whan said NSW paid the ACT approximately $80 million to $90 million annually for cross-border services and was seeking answers about the incident.
Stephen-Smith said Medicare-funded and nationally funded services were available to NSW residents, although some programs funded solely by the ACT government were restricted to territory residents. Officials have contacted the affected patient and clarified the circumstances.
