Understanding the British medical system can seem like an insurmountable task. I’ve lived in England for most of my 21 years, and I still struggle to get my head around it. For international students used to more straightforward healthcare services at home, it can be even more daunting: my mum arrived in London from Australia when she herself was 21, and ended up paying for expensive private appointments for the first couple of years, simply because nobody had explained the concept of the National Health Service (NHS) to her!
想要了解英國(guó)的醫(yī)療制度，簡(jiǎn)直就像不可能的事。21歲以前，我大都在英國(guó)度過(guò)，卻依然不怎么會(huì)看醫(yī)生。對(duì)于國(guó)際學(xué)生，習(xí)慣了自己國(guó)家醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)的直接明了，在腐國(guó)看病就更加細(xì)思恐極了。我娘親21歲時(shí)從澳大利亞來(lái)到英國(guó)，就因?yàn)闆]人給她解釋英國(guó)的國(guó)民醫(yī)療制度，頭幾年都是自掏腰包，去土豪的私人診所看?。?/p>
Of course, private healthcare has its benefits – and we will look at those in future articles, as well as many other medical topics. But even still, every international student arriving in this country on a course of 6 months or more is entitled to free treatment via the NHS, and should know how to access it. Here are 3 steps to get you started: don’t wait until you get ill, get cracking now!
當(dāng)然，私人醫(yī)療也有好處，看東西之后會(huì)再詳細(xì)說(shuō)，還會(huì)引入更多有關(guān)醫(yī)療的竅門。但是即便如此，留學(xué)生來(lái)英國(guó)，只要是上超過(guò)六個(gè)月的課程，都有權(quán)享受國(guó)民醫(yī)療制度(NHS)，理應(yīng)知道如何免費(fèi)看病。趕緊來(lái)看看以下三個(gè)入門步驟吧!別等生病了再手忙腳亂，現(xiàn)在開始，時(shí)刻準(zhǔn)備著！
PAYING YOUR INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SURCHARGE FEE
支付國(guó)際醫(yī)療附加費(fèi)
When people describe the NHS as being “free”, what they really mean is that it is “free at the point of service” – i.e. you don’t pay for individual appointments or treatments, and are entitled to as many of those as you need. Of course (as you economics students out there will know), the funding for that has to come from somewhere. Because the NHS is a public service, it is largely financed by taxing British citizens, who are then able to access healthcare without paying anything extra.
總聽說(shuō)NHS免費(fèi)，實(shí)際上是“醫(yī)療服務(wù)免費(fèi)”。也就是說(shuō)，不用為私人預(yù)約或治療付費(fèi)，并且有權(quán)享受一些其他你需要的服務(wù)。當(dāng)然，為了提供免費(fèi)醫(yī)療，政府總得從別處籌集資金(學(xué)經(jīng)濟(jì)的肯定明白)。因?yàn)镹HS是公共服務(wù)，大部分資金來(lái)源于英國(guó)人納稅，因此英國(guó)人不必付任何其他費(fèi)用，即可享受免費(fèi)醫(yī)療。
In the past, this worked out awesomely for international students in the UK, who could get this free treatment without being impacted by the taxes. However, with the NHS struggling in recent years, there’s been more pressure to balance the books, and make sure that everyone who is accessing public care is contributing towards it. Starting from 6th April 2015, this means that non-European students in the UK will have to pay a £150 annual medical surcharge on any new visa they receive, which can be transferred as part of the online visa application process. (Don’t worry if you applied for your latest visa before that date, you’ll be exempt – at least until your next application!) £150 might seem steep, but actually is a small price to pay to cover yourself for the year, and not worry too much about those nagging coughs and colds.
過(guò)去，英國(guó)的國(guó)際學(xué)生也能像本地人一樣享受免費(fèi)醫(yī)療，還不用納任何稅！然而隨著NHS近幾年步入窘境，壓力越來(lái)越大，NHS要保持收支平衡，確保每個(gè)享受醫(yī)療服務(wù)的人都做了貢獻(xiàn)。2015年4月6日開始，在英國(guó)留學(xué)的非歐洲學(xué)生，必須每年繳納150英鎊的醫(yī)療附加費(fèi)，無(wú)論拿的是哪種新型簽證?，F(xiàn)在這已經(jīng)是在線申請(qǐng)簽證的必經(jīng)過(guò)程(如果你是在這之前申請(qǐng)的簽證，就不必支付此費(fèi)用——直到你下次申請(qǐng)簽證!)。150英鎊看起來(lái)略貴，但能夠保證一年的免費(fèi)醫(yī)療，其實(shí)挺劃算的，感冒和咳嗽時(shí)不時(shí)找上門，也不必?zé)懒耍?/p>
REGISTERING WITH YOUR LOCAL GP
找當(dāng)?shù)氐娜漆t(yī)生注冊(cè)
Once you’ve paid the medical surcharge on your visa (or not, if you applied before 6th April!), you’re ready to register yourself with your local GP (general practitioner). GPs are the gateway to treatment in the UK: you generally wouldn’t drop into a hospital unless you have had an accident, and it’s almost impossible to get access to a specialist without first getting a referral from your local doctor.
辦簽證時(shí)支付了醫(yī)療附加費(fèi)之后(如果在4月6號(hào)之前申請(qǐng)就不用支付)，就可以找當(dāng)?shù)氐娜漆t(yī)師注冊(cè)了。找全科醫(yī)師預(yù)約，是在英國(guó)看病的第一步：除非你遭遇了事故，否則一般不會(huì)去醫(yī)院。如果不通過(guò)全科醫(yī)師轉(zhuǎn)診，也沒法去看?？漆t(yī)生。
Most universities will have a nearby health centre that they recommend, or alternatively you can check in the NHS directory. To register, you simply need to turn up during working hours, ask to be set up with the NHS, and fill out some forms (make sure you bring your passport, student card and proof of address, as well as any other important documents). Before you know it, you should have your own shiny NHS card arriving through the post.
大部分大學(xué)都有推薦附近的醫(yī)療中心，或者也可以在NHS目錄查找。只要在工作時(shí)間前往申請(qǐng)注冊(cè)NHS，填填表格，就能完成注冊(cè)(記得帶上護(hù)照、學(xué)生證、地址證明等重要材料)。很快，腐國(guó)郵政系統(tǒng)就會(huì)寄來(lái)全新醫(yī)保卡一張！
GETTING AN APPOINTMENT
預(yù)約醫(yī)生
This is the final step, and by far the easiest. You simply need to call your GP (or rather, their office) during working hours to make an appointment. Depending on how busy your local centre is, it could take anything from a day to a couple of weeks to find a time that works – although I always find that those 8am slots are best for quick treatment!
這是最后一步，也是最簡(jiǎn)單的一步。只要在工作時(shí)間，聯(lián)系你的全科醫(yī)生，或者打電話到他辦公室，預(yù)約看診即可。等待的時(shí)間從一天到數(shù)周不等，取決于當(dāng)?shù)卦\所有多忙。不過(guò)聽哥一句，快速檢查小痛小癢，約早上八點(diǎn)最好！
