10 June 2019 - Health Minister Greg Hunt has sounded a warning to medical specialists over "very excessive" fees after brain surgeon Charlie Teo defended charging large medical bills for risky procedures.

The high-profile Sydney doctor has accused the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons of trying to "purge" him, amid criticism over an operation on a 12-year-old girl whose family set a crowdfunding target of $100,000 to cover the expense.

Dr Teo has explained in cases where a surgery cost $120,000, about $80,000 went to the private hospital, while the remaining $40,000 was shared between himself, a radiologist, an anaesthetist and others.

He said he would receive about $8,000 to $15,000 himself and the high private fees were charged because desperate interstate patients had to go outside their own public system.

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