Prime Minister Rudd’s plan for reforming Australian public hospitals

It is the long term that matters — not a quick fix

Kevin Rudd’s election commitment in November 2007 to take over the funding of public hospitals and fix them has led to a bold and courageous plan,1 unveiled after a 15-month review by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) and further extensive consultations. Some pillory the delay, but with such a complex system and so much at stake, caution is admirable. The real questions are whether the solution offered on 3 March 2010 for public hospitals1 will work, and what problems will it solve? Further debate is urgently needed.