Private health giant falls into receivership, putting 37 hospitals up for sale
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Victoria to ban sale of machetes after shopping centre brawl Major private health group Healthscope has fallen into receivership and is seeking to sell all of its hospitals, but it says there will be no immediate impact on its facilities and patients and staff due to a $100 million lifeline. Owned by Canadian private equity firm Brookfield, Healthscope is Australia's second-largest private hospital group, owning 37 hospitals across the country. However, it is currently saddled with some $1.6 billion in debt, according to the Australian Financial Review . Northern Beaches Hospital, one of 37 hospitals owned by Healthscope across Australia. (Renee Nowytarger/AFR) Healthscope called in receivers today, but reassured there won't be an impact on its staff and patients after Commonwealth Bank provided it with a $100 million funding package. "We want to make it clear that the subsidiaries that own and operate Healthscope's network of hospitals are not affected by our appointment to the shareholding companies," receiver Keith Crawford of McGrathNicol said in a statement. "Our immediate focus is to engage constructively with all key stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted operation of Healthscope hospitals and continuity of best practice standards of patient care. "We will also work closely with Healthscope management to support any operational funding requirements via access to $100 million of new funding from Commonwealth Bank while we pursue an orderly transition of ownership of Healthscope's hospitals." Brookfield purchased Healthscope for $5.7 billion in 2019. health
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