Get urgent medical help

Call an ambulance

In a life threatening emergency, call 000 and ask for an ambulance.

When you call 000, they’re trained to help. They’ll send an ambulance to you or provide you with the next steps if you don’t need an ambulance.

Find out how to call 000 on the Triple Zero website.

Go to a hospital emergency department

Go to a hospital emergency department if you need urgent medical attention. Hospital emergency departments provide 24 hour emergency care.

You should only go to an emergency department if you’re badly hurt or sick. You can see a general practitioner for other health issues.

To find the closest emergency department to you, use find a health service on the healthdirect website.

Find a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

You can get care for illnesses and injuries that aren’t life threatening at Medicare Urgent Care Clinics. The clinics are bulk billed, which means you won’t have to pay if you have a Medicare card.

You don’t need an appointment to go to a clinic. Find your nearest Medicare Urgent Care Clinic on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Help after hours or if you’re in a rural or remote location

There are medical services you can access after hours or if you are in a remote location.

After hours health care

An after hours health service may help if you're unwell when your doctor or other health service is closed, and it isn’t an emergency.

You can find the closest doctor, pharmacy or other health service using the find a health service tool on the healthdirect website.

If you’re not sure what to do, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice. This is known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria. You can call this number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service

The Royal Flying Doctor Service may help if you live far from a hospital emergency department and need urgent medical attention. Find the emergency contact information for the Royal Flying Doctor Services in your location on the Royal Flying Doctor Service website.

Be prepared for a medical emergency

There are resources available to help you and your family be prepared for a medical emergency. These links will take you away from myGov.