Private hospitals war with DHB

Private hospitals have issued a veiled threat to the Health Ministry, warning they might not be on hand to reduce the backlog of surgeries cancelled under lockdown.

This would leave the already strained public system having to clear the backlog itself.

The terse response came after a letter, obtained by Stuff, revealed that the ministry was having second thoughts about compensating private hospitals for the costs they had incurred during the level four lockdown.

The ministry had asked the hospitals to stay open and staffed, but largely empty, during the lockdown. The idea was that private hospitals could be used as extra capacity if a wave of coronavirus cases overwhelmed the public health system.

Initially, the ministry said the private hospitals could work out ‘‘partnership agreements’’ with local district health boards. These would set out what services the hospitals would provide and how much they would be paid.

But at the end of last month the deputy director-general of health, Michelle Arrowsmith, got back in touch with the hospitals, warning that there had ‘‘been a passage of time’’ which meant ‘‘we may need to reframe our joint approach in light of this’’.

Arrowsmith told Stuff ‘‘DHBs are working to make the most of available capacity, both within DHB facilities, and in partnership with their local private providers’’.

‘‘We cannot comment on funding or any negotiations, as discussions are still under way.’’

If the Government is unable to pay, it would leave private hospitals out of pocket for $30 million of expenses they believe they have incurred by staying empty during the lockdown. Private hospitals draw their revenue from surgeries and consultations, nearly all of which were cancelled when the country went into level four lockdown.