Patients Challenge Fees for Television Access in Perth Hospitals

A patient advocacy group is raising concerns over a policy in Perth public hospitals that mandates a daily fee for access to televisions. In eight metropolitan hospitals, bedside TVs—provided by Hills Health Solutions—offer free-to-air channels and a movie channel, but streaming services are not included. Patients must pay $10 per day or $54 weekly for TV access, with concession card holders facing a slightly reduced fee of $9 daily or $48 weekly. Despite this being a longstanding practice, the Health Consumers' Council of WA intends to contest these charges.

According to a spokesperson for the North Metropolitan Health Service, these fees are consistent with practices across other public hospitals in Australia. They clarified that patients who are admitted as private patients do not incur these charges. Additionally, those with private health insurance can access TVs at no cost during their hospital stay. Clare Mullen, executive director of the Health Consumers' Council of WA, emphasized the importance of TV as a means for patients to unwind and cope with the stress of being hospitalized.

Sarah Finlayson shared a personal story regarding her brother, who has a psycho-social disability and was left without TV access during his hospital stay due to the paid service policy. After discovering the TV was not broken but rather part of a paid service, she felt compelled to pay for access, which she found shocking, given that the channels offered were free-to-air.

Listeners of ABC Radio Perth expressed mixed reactions to this issue, with some supporting the idea of private contractors managing the TVs, while others argued that access should be free for patients. Australian Medical Association WA President Michael Page noted that while the matter might seem trivial, accessing television can be essential for patients' mental health, especially for those who are in unfamiliar hospital environments for long periods. He stressed the need for equitable access, pointing out that not all patients can afford the extra daily fee.