HEALTH-CARE MARKETS IN AUSTRALIA - OWNERSHIP OF THE PRIVATE HOSPITAL SECTOR

Over the past decade, the Australian hospital sector has undergone a m assive economic and administrative reorganization with ramifications f or both the private and the public sectors. Changes such as privatizat ion, deregulation, and the entry of foreign capital into the hospital sector are occurring in the hospital systems of many countries, includ ing Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. These develo pments are radically transforming the hospital sector, altering establ ished relationships between the state, the medical profession, the con sumer, and the corporate investor, and raising important questions abo ut the future of hospital services in regard to equity, accessibility, and quality.