Experts say there must be a better level of debate on health funding, after an NT minister said treating the elderly came at the expense of children.

NT Health Minister John Elferink said at a conference last week that he suspected somebody with end-stage renal failure would be happy to give up their treatment so that their grandchildren could have a better standard of care.

He said humans were close to the limit of how old they could grow, yet health system still dedicate huge resources into a person's last year of life.

Professor Rolf Gerritsen from Charles Darwin University – an economist and demographer – told reporters on the weekend that while Mr Elferink’s comments were “colourful”, his main point was right.

“He is very correct. The funding squeeze is getting intolerable,” Professor Gerritsen said.

“If there isn't some change to the funding that the states and territories get, then state and territory governments will be forced into some very serious decisions, especially in the health budget.”

Professor Gerritsen said other states and territories would have similar feelings.

“It is actually a reflection of a larger play that is going on in the COAG system, which is a general worry about the rising costs of health and is a reaction to the Abbott budget last year which cut basically $80 billion out of the forward estimates to the states,” Professor Gerritsen said.

“In five years' time the states are going to be between $35 billion and $45 billion short on health expenditure.”

President of the NT branch of the Australian Medical Association Associate Professor Robert Parker has weighed-in as well, telling ABC reporters that there should be a new discussion on where healthcare funding is concentrated.

“I know people don't really want to face it but a discussion has to be had about where you spend your buck and where you get the best bang for your buck,” Associate Professor Parker said.

“The cake is only of a certain size. It is not infinitely expandable and at some stage there is going to have to be, I think, discussions about priorities and where money is spent,” he said.