If you are a patient, carer or family living and travelling from interstate for treatment at Canberra Hospital, we may be able to offer you hostel style accommodation on the grounds of Canberra Hospital.
If you are a patient, carer or family living and travelling from interstate for treatment at Centenary Hospital for Women and Children we may be able to offer you accommodation on site at Ronald McDonald House.
If you are a patient, carer or family travelling from interstate for treatment at North Canberra Hospital, we may be able to offer you accommodation right next to North Canberra Hospital.
You may still apply for accommodation if you are not eligible for the NSW Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS), pending availability. The patient and/or their carer will have to pay for their stay upfront at check in. Please call Main Reception on (02) 5124 2613 for further assistance regarding availability.
Visit Canberra can help you find hotel accommodation near Canberra Hospital.
Canberrans travelling interstate for care
ACT residents who need to travel interstate to receive medical treatment may be eligible for the ACT interstate patient travel assistance scheme (IPTAS) [PDF 832kB].
What is the Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (IPTAS)?
Sometimes, ACT residents need to travel interstate for specialist medical treatment or dental treatment that they cannot get in the ACT’s public or private health system.
If a person needs to go interstate for a health care service, it can cost money to get there or to stay there for a period of time.
This is where the Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (IPTAS) can help with reducing the travel and accommodation costs.
If you are eligible, you may be able to claim some costs for using a private car, public transport or costs for a commercial flight to get to the interstate medical service or you may be able to claim some costs for the accommodation where you stayed while getting your treatment interstate.
You can apply for IPTAS if you:
- are a permanent resident of the ACT or Jervis Bay Territory
- have a Medicare card (or you are enrolled to get a Medicare card, which includes asylum seekers) have been referred to the closest interstate service that can give you the care you need, by an ACT or Queanbeyan-registered medical professional.
You are not eligible for IPTAS if you are:
- getting financial assistance for these costs from another agency, eg: an insurance company or other government agency
- not an ACT resident or you are visiting the ACT or surrounding region and you need medical treatment that’s not available in the ACT.
- able to get the care you need within the ACT’s public or private health systems.
We have more information about eligibility and access to the scheme in the ACT Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme Assessment Guidelines [PDF 832kB].
You can make a claim using the ACT Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme Claim Form [PDF 772kB].
Applications must be received within six months of your travel.
