Mr. Tony O'Brien:

We need to be clear that a person who is on a public waiting list, which is the only basis on which one gets treated by the NTPF, has elected to be treated publicly, which is his or her legal right, irrespective of his or her private insured status. There are many people who pay private health insurance premiums who are treated as public patients. We would not have the right to say to them or even necessarily to know that they have private health insurance and that they should be using it.