Emergency: An emergency is a serious illness or injury that poses an immediate risk to your life or long-term wellbeing.
Non-emergency: A non-emergency is an illness or injury that requires treatment but is not immediately life-threatening. If it’s a non-emergency, it’s better to visit your nearest doctor (General Practitioner) rather than heading straight to the emergency department of your nearest hospital.
Book an appointment with your doctor by phone or online. Arrive 15-20 minutes early to fill out any paperwork your doctor needs.
The doctor will treat you and will determine if you need medicine or need to see a specialist.
Watch our short video on what to do if you are feeling sick or you injure yourself in Australia.
A Medical Specialist is a person highly skilled in a specific area of medicine such as radiologists, psychiatrists and orthopaedic surgeons. Your GP may send you to see a specialist if they think specific expertise is necessary to diagnose or treat you. If you need to see a specialist, you will need a referral from your GP first. For more information watch the helpful video below.
In Australia, a pharmacy is often called a ‘chemist’. This is where you can go if you need to get medication. Some of the medication can only be bought if you have been given a prescription from a doctor (usually printed on a piece of paper, or ‘script’). Take the prescription your doctor gives you to the Chemist and they will provide you with the medicine. You can then claim back according to the limits on your policy after you pay the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) patient co-payment fee. Learn more about PBS and Pharmacy limits here
Watch our short video on what to do if you need to see a specialist.
