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Moving to Aus with a chronic condition


TheEscapePlan

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I'm Australian by birth, and have lived in the UK for almost 15 years. Me and my other half are planning to put his application (47SP/ 40SP) in in November with the view of moving this time time next year. I have a chronic condition - hypopituitarism - which I developed in the UK after a pituitary tumour was found and treated. I need full spectrum hormone replacement.

 

My Endocrinologist has told me I need to be under the care of a consultant Endocrinologist at a teaching hospital when we move.

 

Does anyone else have experience of moving with a chronic condition? How did you negotiate getting the right care/ consultant for your condition?

 

I have previously tried seeing an endocrinologist near where my parents live in Australia, but they were less than helpful. I'm a bit nervous of moving over without having anything set up before we leave...

 

Any advice will be greatly received. :)

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I'm Australian by birth, and have lived in the UK for almost 15 years. Me and my other half are planning to put his application (47SP/ 40SP) in in November with the view of moving this time time next year. I have a chronic condition - hypopituitarism - which I developed in the UK after a pituitary tumour was found and treated. I need full spectrum hormone replacement.

 

My Endocrinologist has told me I need to be under the care of a consultant Endocrinologist at a teaching hospital when we move.

 

Does anyone else have experience of moving with a chronic condition? How did you negotiate getting the right care/ consultant for your condition?

 

I have previously tried seeing an endocrinologist near where my parents live in Australia, but they were less than helpful. I'm a bit nervous of moving over without having anything set up before we leave...

 

Any advice will be greatly received. :)

 

hi,

 

my daughter has type 1 diabetes, she is 9, at the moment I have to fill in extra medical forms and send them off to visa bureau. they will then let me know if the treatment lauren needs is too expensive or not, fingers crossed its all going to be okay.

 

I asked jdrf (juvenial diabetes research foundation) for help, they confirmed which endocrinologist would be looking after lauren once we arrive and the hospital too.

 

do you have a support group for your condition who could help ?

 

im sorry to hear your endo wasn't much help :-(

 

visa bureau have a medical person dr baz, she sent us an email, which stated the following

 

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) health test for migration to Australia is concerned with assessing the cost of any health care (medication, hospitalisation or surgery, any therapy) and the cost of community resources, (including disability pension and children's extra educational costs). The cost to the Australian community is considered and this is the unsubsidized cost to the government. Generally health insurance is not considered to 'offfset' the health test.

 

Dr. Baz assists visa applicants with health problems considering migration by assessing the healthcare needed and estimating the costs and comparing this to the usual acceptable guidelines for migration. This assessment is based on your medical history, medical records and reports which may be requested by Dr. Baz (for children with special educational needs Dr. Baz will also need school reports and assessments). This information from you is used to form an opinion relevant to the visa health guidelines.

 

hope this helps. we are at the very start of our visa process, ive still got to fill the form out, but its asking quite a few questions about how it started, not sure I can face it at the mo, too upsetting :-(

jo.

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I'm guessing you will find that things will fall into place but probably not quickly! If you know where you are going and there is a teaching hospital with a good endocrinology department around then I'd be asking your consultant either to recommend someone or, if he doesn't have an international network then at least give you a letter of referral - you'll have to go through a GP but I guess it never hurts to flag with the potential department that you will be arriving and maybe asking them for advice about your best pathway into their services though TBH I wouldn't be expecting much from them until you are settled! At least as a citizen you don't have any potential visa issues!

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I have just moved back to the UK so a different journey to you but similar in the respect that both my son and I have chronic conditions and were very well catered for in Australia.

 

My son's consultant in particular was very helpful, he found out who would be the best person for my son to see and sent a referal letter directly, giving me a copy. On arrival here I went along to the GP with a copy of the letter and he simply told me to call the specialist's secretary directly to make an appointment.

 

My own condition is straight forward (RA) but again i got a letter from my rhuematologist in Australia before returning recommending the next steps in my treatment - GP is simply referring me to a specialist here.

 

I see no reason why it would be any different in reverse - if anything getting access to the specialists you want should be easier in Australia, especially if you are able to go private which I found much, much cheaper than in the UK due to the medicare subsidies.

 

If your specialist here cannot rexcommend anyone in Australia do your own research on-line - I found forums very useful to get recommendations from other patients with the same or similar conditions.

 

I must admit i am enjoying the free health care I am now getting, especially in Scotland where there is no prescription charges and between my son & I we have 4 a month.

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  • 1 month later...

jo and scott

 

My son has T1D - we are already in Aus on a 457 and are currently doing out ENS186. We have more than a few friends with cihldren with T1D and as long as there are no complications T1D is supposed to be A-graded (meaning is passes stright away)

 

In reality, most panel Doctors dont thoroughly read the instructions provided by the immigration dep and Grade it B and the its gets refferred, reviewed and passed. I have not heard of one single T1D being denied on medical grounds

 

Have a look at this

http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/panel_doctors/conducting_medicals/instructions/panel-doctors-instructions.pdf

 

 

[TABLE=width: 649]

 

[TR]

[TD=width: 50%]

Diabetes

[/TD]

 

[TD=width: 50%]

A-Grade:

If stable with no evidence of end-organ damage.

B-Grade:

End-organ complications known or suspected, especially renal impairment. Provide relevant investigation results. Specialist report not required unless requested.

[/TD]

 

[/TR]

 

[/TABLE]

 

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jo and scott

 

My son has T1D - we are already in Aus on a 457 and are currently doing out ENS186. We have more than a few friends with cihldren with T1D and as long as there are no complications T1D is supposed to be A-graded (meaning is passes stright away)

 

In reality, most panel Doctors dont thoroughly read the instructions provided by the immigration dep and Grade it B and the its gets refferred, reviewed and passed. I have not heard of one single T1D being denied on medical grounds

 

Have a look at this

http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/panel_doctors/conducting_medicals/instructions/panel-doctors-instructions.pdf

 

 

 

thank you for your replies, jackieO, if you don't mind I would like to PM you as I feel I have a thousand questions !!

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  • 2 months later...

Thanks all. I asked my endocrinologist if he would write me a letter when the time comes. He got a little over excited and sent it off just after I posted this thread. The hospital then decided I'd already left the country and cancelled all my future appointments. I got them all reinstated, and I have a copy if the referral letter, so I just hope it all goes to plan once we finally get to Australia!

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