Hospitals

Australia enjoys a very good hospital system and the entire population has access to this system through a scheme called Medicare.

If you come from New Zealand, England, Malta, Finland, Italy, Sweden or Holland, you can also access this system for free. For all other countries it will be highly advisable to make an insurance, because the medical services are not cheap.

Medicare does not cover dental work not even for people living here, in Australia. A good idea would be to plan a visit to your dentist before your visit in Australia. Just in case... . If you need any emergency dental work done see the contact details provided bellow.

Due to a large demand the hospitals are a bit crowded and you need to queue. If you just need to see a doctor, go to a General Practitioner (GP).

Pharmacies/Chemist shops

Pharmacies, also named Chemist shops, are present in great numbers in big cities but you can find very few in the outback. If you plan to visit remote areas of Australia is a good idea to stock some medicine.
A lot of drugs are prescription only. If y you have an over seas prescription you need to see a General Practitioner (GP) to endorse the prescription.

In the pharmacies you can also find products like sun creams, sunglasses, hats etc but you will find probably that they are more expensive than in the supermarket.

Ambulance

If you need an ambulance dial 000, but keep in mind that is not a free service and it can be very expensive.

The caller's number and the conversation are recorded. People making prank calls are fined.

useful contacts

phone numbers: Police / Fire / Ambulance: 000
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Poisons Information center: 13 11 26
Australian Dental Association: (02) 9906 4412

links:
Australian Dental Association
Medicare Australia

other:
White pages information: 1800 810 211
Web site: White pages
Telstra directory assistance: 1223
Web site: Telstra