Free telehealth for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
See a doctor.
It costs nothing.
Talk to a nurse first, then see a doctor by video or phone, wherever you are in Australia. No referral, no fee, and your own clinic stays your clinic.
A nurse usually rings back the same day.
- Free, always
- Ahpra-registered doctors
- Video or phone
- Australia-wide
What it costs
Nothing, and here is exactly where that stops.
$0
Talking to a nurse
However long it takes. No charge, ever.
$0
Seeing the doctor
Not billed to Medicare either. You do not need a card.
Pharmacy
Any medicine
Priced by the pharmacy and told to you before anything is written. We take no cut.
There is no membership and no sign-up fee. You can stop at any point without paying anything.
How it works
Five steps. You can stop at any of them.
You ring, or we ring you
No referral needed. Someone can do it for you. Nothing is signed and nothing is charged.
A nurse talks it through with you
A real conversation about what is going on and what you have already tried. Free, and it takes as long as it takes.
You see the doctor
By video or phone, on Monday, Thursday and Friday. If we are not the right service for you, the nurse will have told you before this point.
The pharmacy handles any medicine
If something is prescribed, you are told what it costs before it is written, and you pay the pharmacy, not us.
Your own clinic gets a note
Only if you say so. If you would rather nobody local knows you rang, say that and nothing is sent.
What you are getting
Registered doctors
Every consultation is with a doctor holding current Ahpra registration. You can look them up.
Video or phone
Phone is a full option, not a fallback. If the connection is bad or you would rather not be on camera, say so.
Unhurried
Our doctor is paid for the time, not for what they write, so nothing is pushing the clock.
Your clinic stays yours
We do one thing. Your AMS, your GP and your health worker are not replaced by us.
How this service is run
Aboriginal-controlled, and built with community.
Bugalwah is Aboriginal-controlled. How this service runs, who it is for and how it speaks to people are decisions made by Aboriginal people, not handed down by a board that has never been here.
This site is a starting point, not a finished thing. It is being built with community, and the parts that are wrong are meant to be said out loud and changed.
How the service is governed- Decisions sit with Aboriginal people
Not with a head office, and not with the people who pay for the software.
- The clinician is answerable to community
As well as to Ahpra. Both, not one instead of the other.
- Nothing about you moves without your say-so
Including whether a note goes back to your own clinic.
- Being told we have it wrong is the point
The design of this service is not finished and is not meant to be.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask.
Is it really free, or is there a catch later?
Really free. The nurse call and the doctor are both no charge, and there is no membership or sign-up fee. If a medicine is prescribed you pay the pharmacy for the medicine, and you are told what that costs before anything is written.
Do I need Medicare?
No. Nothing here is billed to Medicare, so not having a card, or not having it on you, does not stop you being seen.
Will anyone local find out I rang?
Not unless you want them to. A note goes back to your own clinic only if you say it can. Tell the nurse on the first call and nothing is sent.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can ring yourself, and so can a family member or a health worker ringing for you.
What if you are not the right service for me?
The nurse tells you on the first call, for free, and points you somewhere that fits better where we can.
More questions, or just ring and ask.
Getting seen
Ring us, or leave your number.
You do not need a referral. Someone else can do this for you: family, a health worker, anyone you trust.
(08) 8004 2420Phone lines: 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday
Emergency: 000. To talk to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter, any hour: 13YARN: 13 92 76.
Ask a nurse to call you
A nurse usually rings back the same day. It costs nothing.