Migration Help
22nd March 2010, 04:30 PM
A significant number of health policy changes will be introduced from 27 March 2010. These changes will primarily affect health professionals, people with diabetes, carers and pregnant visa applicants.
A brief summary of some of the expected changes include:
Health Services Australia (HSA) has been re-branded as Medibank Health Solutions. All references to Health Services Australia throughout the PAM have been removed and replaced with Medibank Health Solutions.
Whilst family members who are student visa applicants must complete health assessments to the same standard as the principal student applicant, if the principal applicant is a student of a health care profession, the dependant applicant will not have to complete the additional blood tests unless they themselves fall into a category of special significance. For more information please refer to Section 9.2,9.5 and 23.1 of the Health PAM.
A nursing home is considered a hospital or health care environment, however an applicant likely to enter a private doctor's or dentist's surgery is not considered to fall into this category of special significance. As such, the additional health requirement that they undergo a chest x-ray may not be applicable. For more information please refer to Section 12.1 of the Health PAM.
A list of health professionals who are not considered to be doctors, nurses, paramedics or students of these professions, for the purpose of their health assessment, has been included in the PAM. Applicants planning to work in these professions may not have to undergo the additional health requirements of HIV, Hepatitis Band C tests. For more information please refer to Section 13 of the Health PAM.
Applicants under 40 years of age who suffer from diabetes will be required to submit a treating doctor's summary. The summary is to be emailed to the HOC seeking their advice as to what other health assessments are required, if any. Applicants with diabetes who are aged 40 years and over will be required to undergo a Form 26 health assessment. For more information please refer to Section 17 of the Health PAM.
For a Carer (subclass 116/836) visa, the caree, that is the person who requires care, is required to have their level of impairment assessed by Medibank Health Solutions. 'On the papers' assessments for carees are no longer available. A caree must be assessed by Medibank Health Solutions in person. For more information please refer to Section 36 of the Health PAM.
All pregnant offshore visa applicants, intending to give birth in Australia, will be required to undergo a Hepatitis B test performed by a panel doctor. Offshore applicants (who are not required to complete a full Form 26 medical examination) will also need to complete specific parts of Form 26 when submitting their Hep B test. For more information please refer to Section 37.7 of the Health PAM.
A baby born to temporary provisional visa holders in Australia will have to complete health assessments before the permanent visa is granted. For more information please refer to Section 48.5 of the Health PAM.
For health assessments of babies born in Australia, six months of age or younger, the 'Child Health Record' or 'Personal Health Record' booklet will no longer be accepted. For more information please refer to Section 48.5 of the Health PAM.
Papua New Guinea has been added to the list of countries that can, in some circumstances, provide local clearance for the limited temporary caseload. Only those x-rays and medicals which are undertaken at Port Moresby Private Specialist Medical Centre, and are reported on by a radiologist from Cairns Diagnostic Imaging can be locally cleared. For more information please refer to Section 53.7 of the Health PAM.
MH
A brief summary of some of the expected changes include:
Health Services Australia (HSA) has been re-branded as Medibank Health Solutions. All references to Health Services Australia throughout the PAM have been removed and replaced with Medibank Health Solutions.
Whilst family members who are student visa applicants must complete health assessments to the same standard as the principal student applicant, if the principal applicant is a student of a health care profession, the dependant applicant will not have to complete the additional blood tests unless they themselves fall into a category of special significance. For more information please refer to Section 9.2,9.5 and 23.1 of the Health PAM.
A nursing home is considered a hospital or health care environment, however an applicant likely to enter a private doctor's or dentist's surgery is not considered to fall into this category of special significance. As such, the additional health requirement that they undergo a chest x-ray may not be applicable. For more information please refer to Section 12.1 of the Health PAM.
A list of health professionals who are not considered to be doctors, nurses, paramedics or students of these professions, for the purpose of their health assessment, has been included in the PAM. Applicants planning to work in these professions may not have to undergo the additional health requirements of HIV, Hepatitis Band C tests. For more information please refer to Section 13 of the Health PAM.
Applicants under 40 years of age who suffer from diabetes will be required to submit a treating doctor's summary. The summary is to be emailed to the HOC seeking their advice as to what other health assessments are required, if any. Applicants with diabetes who are aged 40 years and over will be required to undergo a Form 26 health assessment. For more information please refer to Section 17 of the Health PAM.
For a Carer (subclass 116/836) visa, the caree, that is the person who requires care, is required to have their level of impairment assessed by Medibank Health Solutions. 'On the papers' assessments for carees are no longer available. A caree must be assessed by Medibank Health Solutions in person. For more information please refer to Section 36 of the Health PAM.
All pregnant offshore visa applicants, intending to give birth in Australia, will be required to undergo a Hepatitis B test performed by a panel doctor. Offshore applicants (who are not required to complete a full Form 26 medical examination) will also need to complete specific parts of Form 26 when submitting their Hep B test. For more information please refer to Section 37.7 of the Health PAM.
A baby born to temporary provisional visa holders in Australia will have to complete health assessments before the permanent visa is granted. For more information please refer to Section 48.5 of the Health PAM.
For health assessments of babies born in Australia, six months of age or younger, the 'Child Health Record' or 'Personal Health Record' booklet will no longer be accepted. For more information please refer to Section 48.5 of the Health PAM.
Papua New Guinea has been added to the list of countries that can, in some circumstances, provide local clearance for the limited temporary caseload. Only those x-rays and medicals which are undertaken at Port Moresby Private Specialist Medical Centre, and are reported on by a radiologist from Cairns Diagnostic Imaging can be locally cleared. For more information please refer to Section 53.7 of the Health PAM.
MH