DIGITAL MEDIA KIT                 EMBARGOED: 12:01AM AEDT, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025

MEDIA ALERT                   

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Australians facing 4.7-year wait for
life-saving medical technologies​

Public or private status can determine

treatment access, new report warns

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Australians are waiting an average 4.7 years
for clinically proven, life-saving medical
technologies, as outdated and fragmented
reimbursement systems slow access and
widen inequities between public and private
patients. 

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A national report set for release next Tuesday,
December 9, 2025 highlights these delays and
inequities, calling for urgent reform to
improve patient access.

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Developed by HTAnalysts in collaboration with Edwards Lifesciences, and informed by clinicians, hospitals, patient advocates, and sector leaders, the report shows Australia is falling behind comparable countries, where approval times are often less than half as long. The report underscores the urgent need to modernise health technology assessment and reimbursement process to ensure timely, equitable, and life-saving access for ALL patients.

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“For patients with severe heart conditions, waiting years can be the difference between life and death,” said Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Monash Health and Victoria Heart Hospital, Professor Jayme Bennetts, Melbourne.

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Clinicians warn these delays carry serious consequences, particularly for patients living with severe heart disease, while private patients can wait even longer when reimbursement processes stall access to newer technologies.

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The report outlines systemic challenges and practical reforms to modernise health technology assessment and improve equitable, timely access across both public and private systems.

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INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE NEXT TUES, DEC 9, 2025

• A health economist on Australia’s lagging approval timelines;

• Cardiothoracic specialists on the clinical impacts of delay;

• Patient advocates on the impacts of long waits, public-private inequities, and the need for reform;

• Patients sharing personal experiences of delayed treatment and how public or private status affected their care; and

• Data and international comparisons from the new report.

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ACCELERATING ACCESS TO INNOVATIVE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN AUS REPORT

Available 12:01 AM AEDT, TUES, DEC 9, 2025, at htanalysts.com.au/accelerating-access-to-innovative-medical-technologies-in-australia. Early access also available pre- launch upon request.