Health

Health

Central to the successful completion of your scholarship programme is the maintenance of good health while you are in UK. Here are some useful guidelines.

Question
Am I entitled to treatment under the National Health Service (NHS)?

Answer
Scholars who are in the UK for longer than six months are entitled to medical and dental treatment under the NHS in the same way as any citizen of the UK. Your RSO will advise you to register with a GP (General Practitioner or Doctor) under the NHS when you first arrive in UK – you must be registered with a doctor to receive any kind of treatment under the NHS. You will need your passport and your award letter to prove you are a student when you go to register. Scholars who are in the UK for less than six months are not entitled to NHS treatment and should have been advised to take out medical insurance. However, if you are from a country within the European Community or a country which has a reciprocal medical health agreement with the UK, you can receive treatment under the NHS regardless of your length of stay. Your British Council contact will be able to tell you if this applies to your country.

Question
What is a prescription and what is meant by prescription medicines?

Answer
If the doctor decides you need medicine, you will be given a 'prescription' – written instructions allowing a pharmacist to give you medicine. Take the prescription to a chemist’s shop (a pharmacy or drug-store) to get the medicine. You can expect to pay a flat fee for each prescription medicine you need – currently £6.25 per item. Many medicines can only be obtained by prescription unlike in some countries where you can buy most things over the counter.

Question
Do I have to register with a dentist as well?

Answer
You need to be registered with a doctor in order to qualify for NHS dental treatment. Once you have registered with a doctor, register with a dentist as soon as possible. Check beforehand that the dentist accepts NHS patients because some only accept private patients and the costs are much higher.