Free interpreters for medical practitioners offering Medicare rebated service
- TIS National (free interpreting for medical professionals) – 131 450
- TIS National Doctor’s Priority Line – 1300 131 450
- TIS on-site interpreter booking form
Fee for service
- ONCALL Interpreters and Translators – (03) 9867 3788
- VITS – (03) 9280 1955
- All Graduates – 1300 134 746
TIS Interpreting is free for all medical practitioners
Free on-site and telephone interpreting is provided by TIS National for all GPs, specialists, radiographers and pharmacists (and their staff – including front of house staff) in private practice for Medical and Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule funded services. There is a general TIS number (131 450) and also the Doctors’ Priority Line, a priority processing component of TIS which provides priority access to interpreters for medical consultations.
Booking an interpreter can be streamlined by obtaining a TIS Client Code Number, by completing the form available from The Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s TIS page <www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/help-with-english/help_with_translating/medical-practitioners.htm>. On-site interpreters are available for appointments on weekdays between 8 am and 6 pm. In extraordinary circumstances, they can be arranged for outside these hours. Ideally, bookings for on-site interpreters should be made three working days in advance by the medical practice. A telephone interpreter can also be booked in advance using the Request for Pre-Booked Telephone Interpreter form available from TIS.
Fee for service interpreters for allied health
Interpreters are not funded for allied health services, however hospitals and community health centres receive funding to purchase language services. It is the responsibility of these services to organise their own interpreting services, typically from one or more of the language service companies listed above or by directly employing accredited interpreters.
See the Department of Health’s Guidelines for Using the Language Services Credit Line for more information.
