Dr. Colm Henry:

The question is very broad in scope. For example, some private hospitals may not have all the facilities needed to deal with the level of acuteness or complexity of illness some patients may have.

For example, some patients may be referred to a private hospital, receive treatment there, develop dialysis needs, in the case of renal failure, that may not be provided in a private hospital setting, and then require transfer to a public hospital. There are long-standing practices in private hospitals and public hospitals for transfer of patients based on clinical need. Ultimately, I hope the behaviour of clinicians is guided by clinical priority, irrespective of whether the source of the referral is public or private.