Australian Spouse Visa Medicals

[myauq]

i think the medical screening for our spouse visa has been botched by the panel doctors, and this has meant my gf being placed on an extended course of uneccessary treatment.

all of her sputum and initial stain tests were negative and the x-ray was unchanged. the specialist even said that she would be fine for the visa, and congratulated us.

but a month later she was asked to return to the hospital and take a course of medication.

i recall that the doctors took an x-ray on the 8th week of the sputum test rather than the stipulated 10th week (as is now my understanding of the protocol). this may have screwed up everything for us.

how can we get a review of her case?

who would be the appropriate, qualified person to speak to about this?

also, who would take precedence in this situation - the onshore or offshore doctors? i always assumed it would be the panel doctors, otherwise what's the point of having them?

any advice is appreciated

[rfukata]

do you have a case number for your 'spouse visa' from the Australia Embassy? I think there should be a section or tab under

the Australian Embassy Thailand web-site (tab Visa) that you possibly can make an enquiry.

[gburns57au]

Have you spoken to the specialist about this?

[myauq]

Have you spoken to the specialist about this?

yep, the specialist even gave us the all clear a few months ago, so confident he was that we'd get the visa in a few weeks

he said it was because the australian doctor interpreted the x-rays differently from him and the other panel doctor (but i'm suspecting that could be a face-saving move).

Edited December 3, 2009 by myauq

[Sporting Dog]

I think that immi will always take the Aus doctor's opinion over the others (depsite the fact that there is more TB in SEA). What sort of specialist was the Thai doctor - respiratory physician or just a doctor.

Perhaps more concerning is that the Aus doc believes that your partner has had TB exposure. I recently returned a positive mantoux - nothing on th x-ray. (I've worked in hospitals for years and it is not uncommon that health workers return +ves s they've had exposure - also in Thailand many people will get exposure without knowing). Apparently TB will remain inactive for most people but remain in their body unless they receive treatment which I assume is what your partner is getting -a TB preventative drug. And thats good - it means after the treatment she will be TB clear and hopefully able to enter Australia. TB is a disease on the rise, and the newer strains can be very difficult to treat. Naturally Australian health authorities need to be vigilant and there are fantstic TB support facilities for immigrants etc i Aus.

I would write to the embassy and outline your concerns in the context of your gf's health - that you've received these conflicting reports and you would like to clarify the situation. Ask for a copy of the Aus doctor's report - they don't just make things up. This may turn out to be alucky break - your gf may end up healthy and TB free in the long run.

Good luck

[myauq]

hi there sporting dog,

thanks for the info. yes, it was a respiratory specialist.

it's not the end result that i'm worried about so much at this stage, or that she has to take the drugs, it's more not knowing what the exact diagnosis was from the australian doctors. i understand that being from myanmar too, of course, increases her risk of exposure. we had thought about her having exposure to tb, though her last skin test was negative. it's possible that she has had exposure to the disease just recently before coming to thailand.

my main worry is that the testing process will drag on for a whole year - as the panel doctor first said they will need another x-ray and sputum sample two months after the course of meds. then he phoned up afterwards and told me that they (the embassy) may just need him to write a report and send the x-rays which were taken during her course of medications.

but my thinking is that if she has already produced 3 negative sputum samples, then why would they need her to undergo this test again? also, if the doctor has taken x-rays at different times during her course of treatment, and assuming the x-ray images remain stable, then shouldn't that be enough to clear her of tb?

[Sporting Dog]

The situation must be frustrating - but if some doctor is red flagging the application because TB is (some sort of) issue, then I guess you'll just have to jump through the hoops. The immigration lackeys are naturally going to err on the side of caution.

I'd still contact the embassy and say that you're very concerned with the doctor's diagnosis and what it means for your Gfs treatment program. Point out that the Thai specialists hve no reason for any concern yet the Oz docs have recommended medications - WHY?

Also liver function monitoring is required when taking TB meds as this is the main side-effect of treatment. ??

I'd also ask the Thai specialist to contact the Aus doctor (in a professional capacity) to ascertain why treatment is required. I've had specialists do this in Aus and Thailand - with no problems whatsoever. In fact I would have thought the Thai specialist would be very interested to find out why the divergence of opinion.

Good luck - my wife had a few health issues when she did her spouse app (meant I had to go back to Aus and leave in LOS for three months) but we got thru them despite the hassles and aggravation.

[myauq]

i'm guessing we will have to wait it out -at least until her treatment has finished, which i'm guessing will be 6 months minimum.

basically what i'd like to know from the australian doctor is how long will she be required to wait. as, if we have a longer time frame, then i'd be inclined to just get a tourist visa and wait the spouse visa out in australia, getting the necessary follow-ups over there rather than thailand. if the australian doctor doesn't think they will require any further testing after treatment, then we can wait in thailand for a few more months.

[gburns57au]

I'd also ask the Thai specialist to contact the Aus doctor (in a professional capacity) to ascertain why treatment is required. I've had specialists do this in Aus and Thailand - with no problems whatsoever. In fact I would have thought the Thai specialist would be very interested to find out why the divergence of opinion.

Very good advice......and was why I asked you if you had spoken to the specialist about it.

[myauq]

I'd also ask the Thai specialist to contact the Aus doctor (in a professional capacity) to ascertain why treatment is required. I've had specialists do this in Aus and Thailand - with no problems whatsoever. In fact I would have thought the Thai specialist would be very interested to find out why the divergence of opinion.

Very good advice......and was why I asked you if you had spoken to the specialist about it.

i sent a letter to my case officer earlier this week asking for clarification from a qualified person, and they said they'd forward it onto the relevant people in australia. that's good

like i said the specialist said he thought it was because the x-ray was interpreted differently by the australian (he even wrote this in a letter). in the next appointment i'll be more explicit in asking if there's been any correspondence between the doctors about the differing diagnoses.

[Will27]

i'm guessing we will have to wait it out -at least until her treatment has finished, which i'm guessing will be 6 months minimum.

basically what i'd like to know from the australian doctor is how long will she be required to wait. as, if we have a longer time frame, then i'd be inclined to just get a tourist visa and wait the spouse visa out in australia, getting the necessary follow-ups over there rather than thailand. if the australian doctor doesn't think they will require any further testing after treatment, then we can wait in thailand for a few more months.

If I were you, I'd just apply for a toursit visa asap.

And contrary to other advice you have been given,

do not mention anything about a protection visa.

And don't forget, I'm pretty sure if you applied for

the spouse visa while offshore, your partner has to

be offhsore for it to be granted.

Regards

Will

[myauq]

i'm guessing we will have to wait it out -at least until her treatment has finished, which i'm guessing will be 6 months minimum.

basically what i'd like to know from the australian doctor is how long will she be required to wait. as, if we have a longer time frame, then i'd be inclined to just get a tourist visa and wait the spouse visa out in australia, getting the necessary follow-ups over there rather than thailand. if the australian doctor doesn't think they will require any further testing after treatment, then we can wait in thailand for a few more months.

If I were you, I'd just apply for a toursit visa asap.

And contrary to other advice you have been given,

do not mention anything about a protection visa.

And don't forget, I'm pretty sure if you applied for

the spouse visa while offshore, your partner has to

be offhsore for it to be granted.

Regards

Will

sweet

i'm just waiting for the job offer