Tasmania faces health service rollback fears with Hobart Private Hospital sale

Tasmania faces a potential rollback of essential health services if the Hobart Private Hospital is sold to Calvary Health Care, a Catholic provider. The sale, announced in December following the financial collapse of Healthscope, is under review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

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This is going to set things back 50 years or so. I think we're going back into the dark ages with the potential takeover.

Concerns are particularly acute regarding services that conflict with Catholic doctrine. Dr. Nanda Kandamany, the sole surgeon in Tasmania performing gender-affirming top surgery, fears the procedure will be eliminated. He notes that Hobart Private is the only local hospital that supports this surgery, meaning patients would have to travel interstate if the sale proceeds. "This is going to set things back 50 years or so," Dr. Kandamany stated, warning of a return to the "dark ages."

Beyond gender-affirming care, Calvary's hospitals do not permit pregnancy terminations, IVF, or certain contraceptive procedures like vasectomies and IUD insertions. These services are currently available at Hobart Private, with limited or no alternatives in the public system. Gynaecologist Dr. Kirsten Connan highlighted that the loss of private inpatient abortion services would disproportionately affect high-risk women and those with complex medical needs, as the public system cannot absorb the demand. She also noted that delays in accessing abortion services can lead to women exceeding eligibility timelines.

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This is life-changing surgery. But now, these patients will not have any other hospital to go to in Tasmania, so they will have to travel interstate. We have to find a solution.

If the sale is approved, Calvary will own all private overnight hospitals in both Hobart and Launceston, creating a monopoly in the state's private healthcare sector. While Calvary's ownership would keep Hobart Private operational, the potential loss of these specialized services has sparked significant worry among medical professionals and patients.

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We know that there are often wait periods that limit the ability for women to get into the clinic, and then there's a delay going from the clinic to theatre.