Should private hospitals have a greater role in taxpayer-funded elective surgery?

Opinion

Private hospitals are to be given a greater role in carrying out taxpayer-funded elective surgery under a Government plan to treat more patients.

The aim is to get better prices by smoothing the flow of patients and increase the number treated.

Private hospitals already do about 6 per cent - around 7000 patients a year - of the elective operations and investigations that are funded by district health boards and say they could do significantly more.

Should private hospitals have a greater role in taxpayer-funded elective surgery? Here is the latest selection of Your Views: