Health cover in Australia, explained for students and migrants from Pakistan

How healthcare payment works in Pakistan versus Australia

Pakistan's health system is a mix of a public sector with capacity constraints and a widely used private sector, with up to 60% of total health expenditure paid directly out of pocket. Government-backed insurance-style programs exist — the Sehat Sahulat Program (branded Sehat Card Plus in some provinces) has, since 2016, covered inpatient hospital treatment for many low-income families — but outpatient (GP-style) services are generally not covered, and coverage has narrowed in places: Punjab discontinued its universal government-hospital insurance model in June 2025, with the Sehat Card now working only through empanelled private hospitals there. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Sehat Card Plus continues to operate more broadly.

Australian OSHC covers both ends of that split — routine GP visits and admitted hospital care — from a single compulsory policy, which is a genuinely different shape from a scheme that only steps in once you're admitted to hospital.

Why Sehat Sahulat and other Pakistani schemes don't satisfy your Australian visa

Sehat Sahulat and any other Pakistani insurance product are domestic schemes with no reach in Australia — they don't satisfy the health-cover condition attached to your visa, regardless of how comprehensive they are at home.

Student visa (subclass 500) holders must hold Overseas Student Health Cover from one of five Australian government-approved providers — Allianz Care, ahm, Bupa, Medibank or nib — as a condition of the visa (condition 8501), running the entire course with no gap. The OSHC policy number is generally required as part of the visa application itself, so it's arranged before you apply, not after. If your visa changes later — to a 485 graduate visa or 482 work visa — the equivalent is OVHC, a related but separate product, also from an Australian-approved insurer only.

What OSHC actually covers — and the gaps that catch Pakistani arrivals out

OSHC covers GP visits, treatment as an admitted patient in a public hospital, ambulance transport, and subsidised prescription medicines through the PBS. It's built for hospital and emergency care rather than every kind of healthcare.

The most common surprise: dental, optical and physiotherapy are excluded from standard OSHC entirely, in contrast to the wide availability of low-cost private dental and optical care in Pakistan — you'd need a separate OSHC Extras policy for these in Australia, and major dental work carries its own waiting period, usually up to 12 months. Pregnancy and childbirth carry a hard 12-month waiting period from your OSHC start date that doesn't shorten if you upgrade after conceiving. Pre-existing conditions carry a standard 12-month wait too. Don't expect an insurer to waive a waiting period on request — it's exceptional, not routine.

What OSHC costs, and how that compares to what you're used to paying

OSHC cover doesn't have a single published price across the five approved providers, purchased upfront for the full length of your course rather than billed annually — confirm current pricing directly, since rates are indexed and vary by start date and provider.

Compared with a system where healthcare spending is largely unplanned and paid as it happens (or, for hospital care under Sehat Sahulat, subsidised only for those who qualify and only for admission), OSHC's fixed upfront cost is worth reframing as a known, budgetable expense from day one — similar to how you'd budget tuition — rather than an ongoing risk you carry.

Moving from OSHC to OVHC if you go on to a 485 or 482 visa

Many Pakistani students move from a student visa to the subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, and some later to a 482 work visa. Both generally require Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) rather than OSHC. The general pattern is your OSHC running until your student visa ends and OVHC starting without a gap once the new visa takes effect — but whether that applies to your specific grant, and exactly when, is case-specific.

Check your own visa grant notice for the precise conditions, and a MARA-registered migration agent can confirm the details. On Migratio you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book).

Your first week: the OSHC card, finding a GP, and real costs

Once your OSHC policy is active, your provider issues a membership number (usually through their app) that you present at a bulk-billing GP clinic or on hospital admission. A bulk-billing GP visit is typically free out of pocket when the clinic bills OSHC directly — your university's international student office usually keeps a list of nearby bulk-billing clinics.

The distinction worth learning quickly: a GP visit is generally free or low-cost under OSHC — a real change from paying for every outpatient visit at home — while an emergency department visit for something that isn't genuinely urgent can still generate a bill, since EDs are triaged for life-threatening presentations. Save your OSHC number to your phone from day one.

Can I use Sehat Sahulat or another Pakistani health scheme in Australia?

No. Sehat Sahulat and other Pakistani schemes have no reach in Australia and don't satisfy visa condition 8501. Student visa holders must hold OSHC from an approved Australian provider — Allianz Care, ahm, Bupa, Medibank or nib.

Does OSHC cover outpatient GP visits, unlike Sehat Sahulat?

Yes — standard OSHC covers GP visits as well as admitted hospital care, which is broader than schemes like Sehat Sahulat that generally cover hospital admission only.

Does OSHC cover dental and optical care?

No, not under a standard policy. Dental, optical and physiotherapy need a separate OSHC Extras add-on, with major dental work carrying its own waiting period of up to 12 months.

What's the pregnancy waiting period under OSHC?

Twelve months from your OSHC policy start date, not from when you become pregnant. Upgrading your plan afterwards doesn't shorten this waiting period.

I'm moving to a 485 graduate visa — do I need different cover?

Generally yes, since the 485 typically requires Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) rather than OSHC. Check your visa notice for the exact timing, or compare MARA-registered agents through Migratio (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300).