Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, President AMA Victoria, with Linda Mottram, Radio 3LO 'AM'

HAIKERWAL: When a doctor has a patient that they wish to have admitted to a private hospital, they're in the hospital and give details. The details often take the form of a detailed questionnaire. And if the patient happens to have complex medical problems, or are older and will therefore take a longer time for a given procedure than somebody that's not unwell, then they are unlikely or less likely - much less likely to get admission.

MARTIN: But how would the doctors know that?

HAIKERWAL: The evidence is that people will ring several times in the same day to have different sorts of patients admitted, and they're getting one sort of patient admitted and not the other sort.

MARTIN: So it would be highly unlikely that the hospital happened to be full at one time and happened to have room at another?

HAIKERWAL: It would be a great coincidence.

MARTIN: Are hospitals allowed to do that?

HAIKERWAL: Hospitals are private enterprises and currently obviously are running to make a profit.

MARTIN: There's nothing to stop hospitals run by the Mayne Corporation cherry picking?

HAIKERWAL: There's nothing to stop any private hospital choosing which patients they wish to see and which patients they don't wish to see.

MARTIN: We have a $2 billion dollar system of subsidies and incentives to encourage people into private health insurance, supported by both political parties. Are you saying that people who take out private health insurance at the moment aren't getting what they think they're getting?

HAIKERWAL: One of the biggest concerns are the people that have been the backbone of the private health insurance industry, that have had insurance for the last 20, 30 years, and they've taken out private health insurance with the expectation that they can get private treatment when they need it when they're sick. And because they're sick they can't get it. We have tried to speak with Mayne Health…

MARTIN: You say you've tried to speak to Mayne Health?

HAIKERWAL: Yes, we've tried to speak to Mayne Health, and they are immune to our pleas.

MARTIN: A company running 60 of Australia's private hospitals finds itself unable to talk to you? Unable to talk to the Australian Medical Association?

HAIKERWAL: The responses that we've had have been unacceptable in that they have 'noted the contents' of our letter.

MARTIN: Do they deny the allegation of cherry picking?

HAIKERWAL: Yes. The problem we have is that nobody is willing to speak openly about it because there are a limited number of suppliers of private hospital beds, and Mayne is the biggest. And doctors wish to maintain some admitting rights to private hospitals.

MARTIN: You're worried that your members - that doctors who are members of the Australian Medical Association who speak out, will be blackballed?

HAIKERWAL: Yes, absolutely. The doctors are very concerned that if they were to speak out that they would no longer be welcome in hospitals about which they have concerns expressed.

MARTIN: Is someone who takes out private health insurance, and people are virtually compelled to, now at the age of 30, putting themselves at risk in that public hospitals may put them further down the queue for acceptance? And if they have the sort of long-term problem, cancer - that sort of thing, which is relatively unattractive to private hospitals, may find that they don't get in there?

HAIKERWAL: I think people who take up private health insurance will be asking the question, 'Is this worth my while?' We certainly support private health insurance, and indeed support the 30 per cent rebate, because we think that people should have access to private hospitals. However, if the private hospitals aren't allowing them access when they're actually ill, they have every right to question that commitment to private health cover. The public hospital system will actually look after them very well, although it's very stretched.

MOTTRAM: Dr Mukesh Haikerwal of the Australian Medical Association speaking to Peter Martin. And a spokesman for Mayne Health has told AM that he denies the AMA's claim. It says the ratio of medical to surgical patients has not changed during the past year. It says changes to private health insurance rules and a cold winter in Victoria have put unusual strain on its hospitals.

A spokesman for Federal Health Minister, Dr Wooldridge, has told AM that he has seen no evidence, as distinct from anecdote, to support the AMA's claims.

Ends