Sick in London: Here is what you should definitely know
Getting that trip of your dreams can be a pretty big deal but your body might or might not be ready for this sudden and short-term change. Being acquainted with the food habits and water of a certain place makes your body rely on a certain type of daily schedule. However sturdy you think your body is, it can surely react to a change in the environment.
Now, we don’t say that this change is always negative. A change in the environment can also be positive. But this is a common scenario among travellers or students who go to the far east or far south for a vacation or for higher education that suffer from common sickness related to travelling such as indigestion, uneasiness, fever, cold and cough and several other common diseases.
There are certain things that you need to keep in mind while out in another state or country as a traveller/student. If you tend to get sick, there are certain steps that you need to take as soon as possible. Here you go with the things feasible for you as a traveller/student who is sick in London.
1-Find the Right Accommodation
If your condition isn’t too bad, the first thing you need to do is find the right kind of accommodation service in London. The thing you need to understand here is the fact that your sickness can last anywhere from a day or two to more than a month. The intelligent decision here is to opt for renting accommodation than looking for a hotel to stay in. Hotels are often too costly.
Staying at such places for a day or two is feasible but spending an enormous sum of money if you are planning on staying for long term due to health issues can be inappropriate. The best thing you can do is look for an accommodation services such as accommodation.co.uk and plan your stay accordingly as you rent a home or room as per your convenience at affordable prices.
2-NHS or National Health Service
If you are looking for a doctor close to your area, you can visit the NHS or National Health Service that provides health care service to residents of UK. Now, some of these health care services could be free for the students coming from international waters. There are certain health care services that are mostly free for any resident or traveler which includes:
- Emergency Treatment (Doesn’t include follow-up).
- Services for family planning (Available for any married or unmarried woman).
- Treatment for a wide range of communicable diseases.
- Mandatory psychiatric treatment.
In order to qualify for treatment available under NHS, students/travellers need to meet a set of conditions.
- Students pursuing courses that last more than six months
If you are a student who is attending certain course in London that is supposed to last at least six months or even more, you are certainly eligible for all the treatment options available for any ordinary resident of London with similar facilities. You can register yourself as a patient for free treatment at the NHS hospitals with the head GP or General Practitioner.
You need to provide a proof of studying in London with an address along with confirmation from your university. You can easily provide the accommodation details by opting to rent accommodation facilities from many service providers available at London.
If you are with your spouse or children that are under 16 for short-term education or under the age of 19 for full-term courses, they are all eligible for the same facilities as you are. In order to receive the free treatment at London hospitals, the family members need to be dependents on the student studying at the place and not short term or long term visitors.
- Students opting for courses that last less than 6 months
Normally, any student registered for a course that lasts less than that of 6 months shall be eligible for a limited treatment by the NHS. Students like this are eligible to receive free emergency hospital treatment. However, only cases that include accidents and medical emergency are eligible for free treatment and any other cases are charged as per the local medical fee. Many GPs might agree for treatment of students that need urgent treatment that cannot be delayed till the student gets back home.
- EU Students registered for courses that last below 6 months
Any students from European Union need to obtain an EHIC or European Health Insurance Card before he/she travels to London for study. Students who have EU nationality with residency outside of EU need to pay for any treatment opted for in London. Such students need to take a private insurance for medical claims.
3-Take a Medical Insurance
If you do not have the feasibility of opting for free treatment from the NHS, you should make sure that you have a good medical insurance to ensure that anything that happens to you when studying at London should be covered by the insurance provider which should also include any extra cost that could arise with a requirement for you to return back home due to sickness via flight travel services. Having private insurance for medical requirements an essentially provide you easy access to health care facilities.
4-Look for free NHS services
If you as a student are eligible for NHS treatment, these are the services that should come free from any kind of charge for you which are additional to the common list that is available to anyone.
- GP consultation and GP services (this includes clinic visit).
- Emergency as well as non-emergency treatments at the hospital.
5-Know the services that require payment
Even after being entitled to the NHS treatment services, there are some things that you need to pay for:
- Medicines that have been prescribed by the GP.
- Travel vaccinations and sickness certification.
- Dental Treatment.
- Eye Treatment.
Students or travellers at London should always be aware of what they eat or where they go and opt for best hygiene to avoid any kind of illness when out in a different country.
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