Healthcare System
Victoria has a wide range of healthcare professionals and services available:
- local General Practitioners (GPs), for non-emergency and preventative care during business hours
- specialist doctors
- 24-hour telephone service NURSE-ON-CALL (1300 60 60 24) for immediate, expert health advice from a registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the cost of a local phone call
- private and public hospitals, for in-patient hospital care and follow-up outpatient services.
On this page:
Finding a doctor, specialist or hospital
Mother and baby support
Vaccinations and immunisation for children
Finding a doctor, specialist or hospital
Doctors
To locate a General Practitioner (GP) in your local area, check the Yellow Pages under Medical Practitioners, or go to the Better Health website.
Specialist doctors
Your local GP will recommend a specialist to suit your medicals needs. You will need a referral letter from your GP to make an appointment with the specialist.
Dentists and other health professionals
To find a dentist, check the Yellow Pages under Dentists, or log on to the Australian Dental Association (ADA) website.
To find other health professionals including optometrists, chiropractors, naturopaths and osteopaths, visit the Better Health website.
For natural health and alternative medicine practitioners, visit NaturalTherapyPages.com.au.
Hospitals
For the list and contact details of Victoria's hospitals, visit the Victorian Government Health Information website. Victoria public and private hospitals also have emergency wards where you can receive after-hours medical care.
Private health insurance is recommended for treatments in private hospitals to avoid paying the full costs. See Healthcare Costs & Insurance.
Ambulance and emergencies
The telephone number for emergency services throughout Australia is 000. Dial this number for ambulance, fire brigade and police emergencies.
It is important to note that Australia's ambulance service is not free. See Healthcare costs & insurance.
Mother and baby support
The Maternal and Child Health Service is a free national service available to families with children from ages 0 to 5.
Services include immunisation, feeding, motor development, eyesight and hearing tests. Contact your local Government council to find the Maternal and Child Health Centre in your area.
The Victorian Government also operates the Maternal and Child Health line, a 24-hour telephone service in conjunction with the Maternal and Child Health Service. Qualified maternal and child health nurses provide advice and referrals for the cost of a local phone call. Telephone 13 22 29.
Vaccinations and immunisation for children
The Australian Government funds vaccinations and immunisations to ensure children and adolescents are protected against diseases including:
- human papillomavirus
- meningococcal C
- chickenpox (varicella)
- pneumococcal
- hepatitis B
- diphtheria
- tetanus
- whooping cough (pertussis)
- Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b)
- polio
- measles
- mumps
- rubella (German measles)
- rotavirus.
If your child has started an immunisation program in another country, provide your local GP with this information. Immunisation can be received either through your GP or for free through local community councils.
Immunisation and schools
Children should be immunised before starting school. Vaccination and immunisation is not compulsory, but some child care providers and schools will not enrol your child unless you can prove that they are vaccinated and immunised, or are exempt.
For more information on immunisation in Australia, visit the Immunise Australia Program website.
Victoria
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Last updated: 20 July 2009
State Government of Victoria