Question:

Can you have a breast reduction in a public hospital? My daughter is a 24G and she is only 19 years old. She is finding her back is always sore and I have noticed it starting to get a hump at the top. She is also not sleeping too well. Do you think she sound like a candidate for this operation? If you have it done through the public system can you choose the surgeon who performs this?

Answer:

There are criteria to have a breast reduction performed in a public hospital. If the need is for medical reasons — and this case sounds valid — an assessment will be made in the outpatient clinic of the public hospital that supplies your area. Your GP should be able to refer you to the clinic that covers your area. At the clinic the assessment will be made and different hospitals will have different criteria. If the case is accepted then you will not be able to choose the surgeon who performs the surgery or the time frame in which it is performed, this is the advantage of being a private not public patient. The advantage though of the public hospital is that there are no out-of-pocket costs.

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