Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

In respect of clinical trials of particular prostheses, it is important to look at the data which has been provided by the NJRR. It does not mean that prostheses which are used are wrong or not suitable for particular patients. There may be clinical reasons for using other devices, but it is not clear why the best-performing stem is used so infrequently. What I can add is that about 30 per cent of patients are provided with prostheses which are markedly less dependable than the most reliable ones identified by the NJRR, many of which are more expensive than the most reliable one. In relation to that part of the question about whether or not there have been trials, I will seek the advice of the Minister for Health and Ageing and see if we can provide further particulars.