LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND - Healthcare in NZ

Doctors

Every town and suburb in the city has Doctors and Medical Clinics. Doctors must meet very high medical regulations to practice in New Zealand and must legally protect the privacy of their patients. You can go to any Doctor or Medical Clinic and should telephone to make an appointment first. You will normally get an appointment the same day. Doctors visits cost around NZ$45 and this cost can normally be refunded under medical insurance.

Hospitals In New Zealand there are two types of hospitals: public hospitals and private hospitals. In most cases, non-residents and visitors must pay if you go to either a public or private hospital. Nearly every city in New Zealand has a hospital that can attend to accidents or more serious injuries. Often the hospitals have speciality units, such as children hospitals.

Accidents If you have an accident during your stay in New Zealand, treatment may be paid by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). This is a scheme funded by the Government. However in many cases you will be required to pay for part of the accident treatment and therefore it is important you have medical insurance to cover cost.

Medical Insurance

With insurance, you pay an annual fee and when you need medical treatment, you claim a refund for the cost from your insurance company. To do this you must contact St George and we will process the claim for you. You just have to provide receipts for the costs incurred, such as doctor's receipts and prescription receipts and a description of what the treatment was for. It is St George’s policy that all international students must have total health-care and travel insurance cover. This ensures that in the event of any medical problems you are covered for most costs incurred. St George uses the services of Southern Cross insurance company and includes the cost of insurance in the initial cost of studying in New Zealand. Insurance is usually issued for one year at a time - therefore it needs to be renewed after this time if you are studying in New Zealand for longer than one year .

Some health services in New Zealand are free, however some are not. Some services are free to New Zealanders but not to international students or visitors. Insurance can cover the costs of those services not provided by the government. Insurance does not normally cover medical conditions that existed before the insurance was taken. Click here to find out the fees.

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