The Australian health care system is considered to be one of the best in the world. The system operates on a mix of private and public services. The Australian government has the role of developing healthcare policies, regulating the system and dealing with the funding. State and local governments have the responsibility for delivering healthcare services and regulating the private hospitals and healthcare professionals in the area.

The Australian healthcare system is funded in three ways. The Medicare programme, the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and private health insurance are all ways in which the system is funded. All Australian citizens and residents are covered by the Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. These schemes subsidise all aspects of health care. Those who want to have public medical treatment can opt to go to one of the public hospitals which are funded by both state and national governments.

Residents contribute to the health care system when they pay their taxes and the contribution to the Medicare system and many opt to have private health care insurance for those aspects of healthcare which are not covered by the Medicare system. All Australians have access to health care regardless of their income.

All those who are eligible for the Medicare system include all those who are Australian citizens, those who have a permanent visa, those who are citizens of New Zealand, those who have made an application for a permanent visa. If you make an application based on your residency status you will need to provide some supporting documentation to show that you have the right to live in Australia. If you are an Australian citizen who has been out of the country for some years you may also need to provide this information. The Medicare programme does not apply to those who live on Norfolk Island.

If you are in Australia on a restricted visa or for a short period of time then you may be entitled to some free health care services. The Australian government has a number of health care agreements in place with other countries. Information on this is available from both your home country’s foreign office and the Australian Medicare website.

If you think you are eligible for the Medicare system then you need to complete an application form which can be downloaded from the website. You will need to provide original documentation such as a passport, birth certificate or visa documentation to support your application. If you have a child born in Australia then the hospital can help you to complete the necessary documentation for Medicare cover for them. This will also ensure that the child is included in the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.

Medicare gives a number of benefits for those who are enrolled. There are set fees which are arranged by the government but some medical professionals who do charge more than the set fee.

Medicare does cover some mental health services as there is a programme in place to make counselling or psychiatric services more widely available in hospitals around the country.

Medicare provides for a number of services outside of hospitals and these include specialist consulting fees, x-rays, surgical procedures by dentists and eye tests. If you are having out of hospital procedures then you have the right to choose the doctor that you see. If you are treated as a public patient then you will be treated by a doctor of the hospital’s choosing and there will be no charge for care.

If you are treated as a private patient either in a public or private hospital you are given a choice of doctors and three quarters of the bill is covered by Medicare. The outstanding amount can be covered by your private health insurance. The treatment is the part covered by Medicare but accommodation, medicines and fees for theatres are not covered so should be picked up by private health care insurance.

Medicare will not cover a range of health care services such as ambulance services, home care, physiotherapy, acupuncture, the cost of optical aids such as glasses or contact lenses, hearing aids, medicines which are not covered by the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, medical costs which occur when the patient is out of the country, cosmetic surgery, medical examinations for life insurance and any eye therapy. A complete list is available on the Medicare website.

Each state has its own ambulance service but there is a universal number for emergency medical assistance which works right across the country. This is 000 and will also connect you to the police and the fire brigade if you need it to.

Smoking is becoming strictly monitored in Australia. Most states have smoking bans on enclosed public places. Tasmania has a strict ‘no indoor’ smoking ban and if you are caught smoking in your car with under 18s as passengers then you can incur a fine. The public places include bars, restaurants and pubs, but most do provide an outdoor space where you can smoke away from others.