Update on healthcare inquiry

The Commission has extended its time period for the completion of the Market Inquiry in the Private Healthcare Sector (Inquiry). The Inquiry is now earmarked for completion by 15 December 2015. The Inquiry Panel earlier this year stressed that it is constrained in terms of timing and intimated that it may extend its initial November 2015 deadline for the completion of the Inquiry.

The extension of the deadline resulted in changes to the planned timeline for certain milestones in the Inquiry process:

• public hearings are now scheduled to take place from February to May 2016;
• the Inquiry will publish its provisional report by August 2016 followed by further stakeholder engagement; and
• the final report will be published by 15 December 2016.

The Inquiry Panel has also re-opened registration to make oral submissions at the public hearings of the Inquiry following its initial invitation to do so in February 2015. Public hearings will now take place during six sets of public hearings each focused on a specific topic. Interested parties wishing to participate in the hearings are invited to register by 11 December 2015.