Takeover of hospitals an option: Rudd

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is not closing the door on a possible commonwealth
takeover of the nation's public hospital system.
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, in a report expected to be
released publicly as early as Monday, is believed to have recommended a takeover of
outpatient and ancillary services but not hospitals themselves.
Mr Rudd is warning the states and territories a takeover is still on his
government's agenda if they did not cooperate with a national reform plan.
"We leave open the option of going to a referendum to seek a mandate from the
people," he told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
The government previously had set the states and territories an end of June 2009
deadline to improve the performance of public hospitals, leading to suggestions it
had gone cold on the idea of a takeover.
Mr Rudd said the government was standing by its original undertaking.
"That is what we said. We intend to roll up our sleeves and get on with the job."