Health
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Hospital Circular 46/1993

Date Issued: 22 October 1993
Publication: 46/1993
Contact: Regional Office
Distribution: Public Hospitals
Subject/s:

  1. Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Finland
  2. Medicare eligibility for sponsored groups of children visiting from the Chernobyl region.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Finland

  1. The Commonwealth Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services advised that the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Finland came into effect on 1 September 1993.

  2. This agreement is similar in purpose and scope to the other Reciprocal Health Care Agreements and Australia now has agreements with the following 7 countries:

    1. Britain (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands).
    2. New Zealand
    3. Malta
    4. Italy
    5. Sweden
    6. Netherlands
    7. Finland

  1. Short term visitors from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Finland are entitled to "immediately necessary medical treatment" for the duration of their stay in Australia. Short term visitors from Malta and Italy are entitled to health care for 6 months only from the date of arrival in Australia. Diplomatic/consular staff and their families from RHCA countries are eligible for Medicare benefits on the same basis as Australian residents (i.e. elective surgery). Students holding student visas from RHCA countries are excluded from treatment under the RHCA.

  2. Patients from all these countries, who require treatment for an episode of ill health, are eligible for Medicare benefits and should apply for a Medicare card. Enrollment in Medicare may take place after services have been provided.

  3. Medicare entitlement does not apply to patients requiring elective procedures (excepting Diplomatic/consular staff and families), to private patients in private hospitals, nor to patients requiring private patient treatment in public hospitals.

  4. Elective patients in public hospitals and/or private patients in public hospitals should be admitted as "Special Class" patients and charged according to the relevant "Special Class" fee schedule. ???

  5. The rationale behind deeming "ineligible" patients from RHCA countries who elect not to be public (i.e. Medicare) patients, is that the visitors’ travel or health insurer should be responsible for meeting the full cost of public hospital treatment provided, rather than subsidised via bed day charges which apply to private patients.

Medicare eligibility for sponsored groups of children visiting from the Chernobyl region.

  1. Medicare eligibility has been provided following a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations titled "International co-operation to address and ameliorate the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant".

  2. Medicare eligibility has been offered to the sponsored children visiting from the Chernobyl region on the basis that such cover is for necessary medical care that arises during the period of the visit in Australia. Necessary medical care is substantially emergency treatment. Volunteer doctors are organised by the sponsoring organisations to care for the day-to-day health care of the children.

S J DUCKETT
DIRECTOR
ACUTE HEALTH SERVICES

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