Infrastructure

According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (AIHW, 2009-10b, pp. 4-5):

• There are 280 private hospitals and 293 private day hospitals in Australia. This is more than 43% of all hospitals in Australia.
• The private hospital sector (both private hospitals and private day hospitals) provide a total of 28,038 beds. This accounts for just above 33% of all hospital beds in Australia.

Education and training

• The number of full-time equivalent staff employed at private hospitals sector in Australia during 2009–10 was 56,560, an increase of 8.5% from the 2008–09. (ABS, 2009-10, p. 6)

• Australia’s private hospitals provided over 9 million hours of education and training of surgeons, doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in 2009. Of this philanthropic investment in the nation’s future medical workforce, the majority of funding for education and training comes from private hospitals. (APHA, 2010)