Australian private hospitals increase capacity to meet rising admissions demand:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Private hospitals in Australia have been increasing their bed numbers against a fall in the public sector. According to Australian hospital statistics 2005-06, a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australia's private hospitals increased their capacity by 3% to around 27,200 beds, while public hospitals' bed numbers fell by 0.9% to around 54,600. Hospital admissions were up annually across both the public and private sectors, from around 7 million, to 7.3 million. This includes a 4.5% rise in public acute hospital admissions and a 3.3% rise in private admissions. The report also provides information on various areas of hospital treatment, including services in public hospital emergency departments.