TOPIC: Visa

Hi, I am living in Hong Kong and would like to come to Australia for treatment. Taking treatment in Tasmania sounds great. I am a US citizen. does anyone have an idea about the best type of visa to get? Would I be able to see a Doctor on a tourist visa? I would be so grateful if someone could put me in touch with a sympathetic doctor so that I can make initial contact. Many Thanks Honkers

Hello Honker, a tourist visa will do fine. Australia lets anyone see a doctor but of course you won't get any subsidy.
About your query about a doctor, I am confused; you are coming to Hobart for treatment because Buyers Club is based there, right? And you know Dr Freeman runs it right?
Also, while Tasmania is a great place, you don't need to stay there the whole course of treatment, why not take your meds back home?

Hi honker,

Do some searching on Google about GP2U Telehealth. If you already have full hep medical history it will make things easier too. The need to treat in Australia would depend on the laws around taking personal prescription meds back into HK. But of course we would love to have you as a tourist for the full time if you want to.

Thanks. I have full medical records most recent being Nov. 2015 from Bumrungrad hospital in Thailand. I have always gone to Thailand for monitoring and don't really have a doctor in Hong Kong other than occasional ER type visit. A bit of an orphan. I am checking out the GP2U site. Do you know if Dr. Freeman sees patients? There were no appointments available with him.

Thanks a lot
Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Thai records should be fine. Not certain re Dr James. Probably best to contact gp2u they can advise.

G

Yes he sees patients and you will see appointment slots appear later. In the meantime you can try to chat with him, he is online now, and/or call the number at top left of the page during Hobart office hours.

Hi,
So U.S. Citizens need a visa to visit Australia?
Mike

Hi,

Yes everyone except New Zealand citizens need a visa or travel authority to enter Australia. There are a few different types of visitor visas dependant upon length of stay etc. The site usa.embassy.gov.au has additional information for US citizens travelling to Australia.

Cheers

Coral

I'm a US citizen ... got my blood work done in US, my ultrasound and fibroscan done in Bangkok and emailed to Andrew at fixhepc ... (because I couldn't get it through my foggy brain I should be sending through gp2u.com. ) Thailand reports are fine.

You can get the visa online, I got a tourist visa, not a medical visa. and it worked fine for me, except I got a thorough searching and questioning at customs in Melbourne. They said it was because I had a new passport and short notice on the visa ... maybe I looked like a refugee ... lol
If I remember right, medical visa is NOT available online.

You don't have to go to Hobart ... you only need the Australian prescription which you can get with the online appointment on GP2U.com.au ... and then just pick up your meds at either Kingswood pharmacy or West Lindfield pharmacy, both in Sydney.

According to Greg Jefferys they might even ship to you. Don't know Hong Kong laws about shipping meds though.

Thank you Coral,
That is good infomation. Many in the U.S., myself included, are frequent travellers to the E.U. where a U.S. Passport is all that is required. I checked the Australian embassy website.
For U.S. Citizens reading this & planning on buzzing Down Under for a treatment tour: Check the embassy website. The visa application process is straightforward and can be done online, but requires rounding up some documentation and such. Plan time for that and processing.

I started a new topic on HepMag: Australian Q & A. Many of you could probably provide a lot of "A"s that I can not. Might want to keep an eye on it.
Mike

Just checked it out mike...even though I can't post there, love your work heh!


And welcome honkers

It should be relatively straightforward to get here & get treatment, once you have the paperwork sorted...the advice on this thread has been spot-on. Best of luck and hope to hear about your journey(s) down under.

Thanks a lot. I will contact Dr. Freeman about the appointment. I have been reading about the monitoring protocol after taking the meds and see that blood tests are recommended at 4/52. Does that mean every 4th week and at 52 weeks?

It means test after the first 4 weeks of treatment.

I got the online visa when I went, really no big deal, not much more than ordering some stuff off of Amazon...copy your passport number into a form and a few other things.

I got waved through at customs both ends, I guess I'm not as dangerous looking as I used to be, I used to get a reallllllly hard time when i went places....just another old fart now I guess they figure.

Thanks a lot. Thinking of taking a holiday in Tasmania. Looks lovely. I think customs will have bigger fish to fry than me! I am also an old fart of the female variety!