Your health

You must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia.

Overseas Student Health Cover is insurance that provides cover for the:

• Cost of seeing the doctor
• Hospital care
• Ambulance costs in cases of emergency
• Most prescription drugs
• Up to 100% of Australia’s Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) outside of hospital
• 100% of the MBS fee in hospitals

It is compulsory for international students and the student’s dependants for the length of the student visa.

Belgian, Norwegian and most Swedish students do not require OSHC.

Flinders University arranges your Overseas Student Health Cover for you through Medibank. A welcome email will be sent to your email with instructions on how to activate your Medibank OSHC when you arrive in Australia and access your Online Member Services.

If you need help or have questions about your cover a Medibank representative will be at Flinders Connect at selected times to assist you.

If you have any problem with the start date of your policy, please consult your OSHC representative.

If you need to visit a doctor or medical centre, present your OSHC card to the medical staff when requested. You will be charged the doctor’s fee and the government fee component of that may be processed by the medical centre.

If the medical centre is not able to process the government fee:

• pay the total amount
• keep the receipt
• claim the government fee from your OSHC provider.

If you are here with your family, or if you are planning to bring your family at a later stage, please submit an AskFlinders request to purchase either Couples or Family insurance cover.

If you have arranged OSHC through another insurance provider, please contact Flinders Connect immediately with the details of your OSHC policy or lodge a request through Ask Flinders and make sure you include a scanned copy of your OSHC policy and passports.

If your family members do not come as dependants on your student visa, they are not entitled to OSHC. We strongly recommend that they take out travel insurance before they depart for Australia.

Medibank OSHC has a representative on campus. Check with Flinders Connect (https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/flinders-connect) for information on the days, times and location of their campus visits. If a Medibank representative is not available at Flinders Connect call 1300 528 701 and speak to an advisor.

The Medibank OSHC helpline can assist you if you are unwell, you are feeling homesick, alone or stressed. You can also get legal advice and interpreting services are available. The helpline is available to all students, 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Phone 1800 887 283 anytime (within Australia) to speak to a registered nurse or counsellor.

For more information, visit Medibank. (www.medibank.com.au/overseas-health-insurance/oshc/comprehensive-oshc)

OSHC does not cover:

• pregnancy in the first 12 months of membership
• assisted reproduction services, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF)
• treatment arranged before coming to Australia
• treatment needed while travelling to or from Australia
• treatment during the first 12 months of membership for pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities
• transportation of a dependant or overseas student into or out of Australia in any circumstance
• treatment covered by provisions for compensation and damages.

Note that medical conditions that you have before you come to Australia are called ‘pre-existing’ and OSHC providers may impose waiting periods for the first 12 months.

OSHC does not pay for additional services (for example, dental, optical or physiotherapy). Overseas students requiring cover for additional services may take out extras cover provided by an approved OSHC provider, or additional cover with any Australian health fund.

If you need to see a doctor, there is an onsite campus General Practitioner (GP).  The University has its own Health, Counselling and Disability Service which opens from 8:45am until 5pm, Monday–Friday. Call 8201 2118 to book an appointment.

To find a GP close to your home visit Medibank which lists medical centres which use ‘direct billing’.  This means the doctor will submit your account for payment directly with Medibank on your behalf.

Remember to call and make an appointment with the medical centre before you arrive.

If you have had to take time off from your studies, you will need to get a medical certificate from the doctor to provide to your topic coordinator.

Flinders has an on-campus pharmacy at the Plaza (H9 on the Campus map).

Medication prescribed by your doctor is not free. You must pay the pharmacy. Your OSHC can cover selected pharmacy items up to $50 per script item, after you pay the PBS co-payment fee of $37.70.

Dental and optical health services are not covered by your OSHC provider unless you take out extra cover. If you need to see a dentist or optometrist, you will need to make an appointment and pay the full fee of this service. You can find practitioners in Adelaide through your internet search engine.  

We are lucky in Australia to have a variety of healthcare professionals from many different cultural backgrounds, so you may be able to see a doctor who speaks your first language. However, if you are having difficulties communicating with your doctor, the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) can be used or phone 13 1450.

If you are in an emergency situation, stay calm and dial 000.

The Triple Zero (000) service is the quickest way to get the right emergency service to help you. It should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life threatening or emergency situations only. Emergency 000 lines should not be used for general medical assistance.

If you have an out of hours medical condition, that is not life threatening, you can contact the National Home Doctor Service on 13 7425 to arrange for a doctor to see you at home. The service operates after 4pm weekdays (Monday to Friday), after 10am on Saturdays, all day Sunday and all day on Public Holidays.

State emergency service

The State Emergency Service (SES) is an emergency and rescue service dedicated to providing assistance in natural disasters, rescues, road crashes and extreme weather conditions. It operates in all States and Territories in Australia. For emergency assistance in a flood or storm dial 132 500.

Lifeline

Lifeline’s 131 114 service is staffed by trained volunteer telephone counsellors who are ready to take calls 24 hours a day, any day of the week from anywhere in Australia.

Anyone can call Lifeline. The service offers counselling that respects everyone’s right to be heard, understood and cared for. They also provide information about other support services that are available in communities around Australia. Lifeline telephone counsellors are ready to talk and listen no matter how big or how small the problem might seem. They are trained to offer emotional support in times of crisis or when callers may be feeling depressed or in need of advice.

Poisons information line

The poisons information line provides the public with prompt, up-to-date and appropriate information and advice to assist in the management of poisoning and suspected poisoning. The seriousness of a poisoning situation is assessed after a detailed history is obtained from the caller. Members of the public may be then given first aid instructions, information on possible symptoms, and advised on the need for assessment by a doctor or referral to hospital. The Australia-wide Poisons Information Centres have a common telephone number: 13 11 26.

Emergency interpreting

For interpreting in an emergency situation, dial 1800 280 203. You will need to pay to use this service.