英國看病全免費？留學生就醫3大絕招

Understanding the British medical system can seem like an insurMountable 點擊發音 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!
想要了解英國的醫療制度，簡直就像不可能的事。21歲以前，我大都在英國度過，卻依然不怎麼會看醫生。對於國際學生，習慣了自己國家醫療系統的直接明瞭，在腐國看病就更加細思恐極了。我孃親21歲時從澳大利亞來到英國，就因爲沒人給她解釋英國的國民醫療制度，頭幾年都是自掏腰包，去土豪的私人診所看病！

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!
當然，私人醫療也有好處，看東西之後會再詳細說，還會引入更多有關醫療的竅門。但是即便如此，留學生來英國，只要是上超過六個月的課程，都有權享受國民醫療制度（NHS），理應知道如何免費看病。趕緊來看看以下三個入門步驟吧！別等生病了再手忙腳亂，現在開始，時刻準備着！

PAYING YOUR INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SURCHARGE FEE
支付國際醫療附加費

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NHS免費，實際上是“醫療服務免費”。也就是說，不用爲私人預約或治療付費，並且有權享受一些其他你需要的服務。當然，爲了提供免費醫療，政府總得從別處籌集資金（學經濟的肯定明白）。因爲NHS是公共服務，大部分資金來源於英國人納稅，因此英國人不必付任何其他費用，即可享受免費醫療。

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.
過去，英國的國際學生也能像本地人一樣享受免費醫療，還不用納任何稅！然而隨着NHS近幾年步入窘境，壓力越來越大，NHS要保持收支平衡，確保每個享受醫療服務的人都做了貢獻。2015年4月6日開始，在英國留學的非歐洲學生，必須每年繳納150英鎊的醫療附加費，無論拿的是哪種新型簽證。現在這已經是在線申請簽證的必經過程（如果你是在這之前申請的簽證，就不必支付此費用——直到你下次申請簽證！）。150英鎊看起來略貴，但能夠保證一年的免費醫療，其實挺划算的，感冒和咳嗽時不時找上門，也不必煩惱了！

REGISTERING WITH YOUR LOCAL GP
找當地的全科醫生註冊

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.
辦簽證時支付了醫療附加費之後（如果在4月6號之前申請就不用支付），就可以找當地的全科醫師註冊了。找全科醫師預約，是在英國看病的第一步：除非你遭遇了事故，否則一般不會去醫院。如果不通過全科醫師轉診，也沒法去看專科醫生。

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.
大部分大學都有推薦附近的醫療中心，或者也可以在NHS目錄查找。只要在工作時間前往申請註冊NHS，填填表格，就能完成註冊（記得帶上護照、學生證、地址證明等重要材料）。很快，腐國郵政系統就會寄來全新醫保卡一張！

GETTING AN APPOINTMENT
預約醫生

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!
這是最後一步，也是最簡單的一步。只要在工作時間，聯繫你的全科醫生，或者打電話到他辦公室，預約看診即可。等待的時間從一天到數週不等，取決於當地診所有多忙。不過聽哥一句，快速檢查小痛小癢，約早上八點最好！

Once you’re actually in the room with your doctor, you’ll have all kinds of other questions – and we’ll look to cover those in future KDS articles. Until then, hope you all stay in good health!
在診所見到醫生，一定會有一大堆問題要問——不急，請期待看東西之後的文章，大家一定保持身板壯壯，且聽下回分解！