Telehealth for Regional and Remote Australians: A Practical Guide

For many Australians living outside the major cities, seeing a GP can mean a long drive, a wait of weeks or both. Telehealth doesn’t replace local health services, but a phone or video consultation can help with many everyday concerns, such as prescriptions, medical certificates, referrals and common infections, without the travel.

This guide covers how telehealth can help if you live, work or travel in regional and remote Australia, how to make it work with patchy reception, and what still needs local care.

Why access is harder outside the cities

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, around 7 million people, or about 27% of Australians, live in rural and remote areas. People in remote and very remote areas see a GP less often than people in cities, and face barriers such as distance, cost and fewer local services.

Telehealth can’t fix all of that, but it can remove the travel for concerns that don’t need an examination.

What a telehealth GP can help with

• Prescriptions: new treatment or a further supply of a regular medicine if clinically appropriate, with an eScript sent to your phone. See online prescriptions.
• Medical certificates: for work, study or carer’s leave, emailed to you. See medical certificates.
• Referrals: for blood tests and imaging, and specialist referral letters.
• Common infections: such as UTIs, colds and flu, and skin infections.
• Sexual health: STI testing and contraception, bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card. See sexual health.
• Mental health: a GP to talk to, advice and referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist where appropriate.

For a fuller picture, see what telehealth can and can’t do.

Making telehealth work in the bush

When reception is patchy

• Choose a phone consultation if your internet or mobile data is unreliable. It uses far less data than video.
• Find the spot with the strongest signal before your appointment, and stay there.
• If you have home internet but weak mobile signal, turn on wi-fi calling on your phone.
• Make sure your phone is charged and the ringer is on, as the doctor will call you.
• If the call drops, the doctor will usually try again, so keep your phone nearby.
• If the doctor needs to see something, they may ask you to send a photo, which can be easier than live video on a slow connection.

Filling your eScript locally

An eScript can be dispensed at any pharmacy in Australia. Smaller pharmacies may not keep every medicine in stock, so it’s worth phoning ahead. If you’re due to travel to a bigger town, you can fill it there instead.

Getting tests done

Blood tests need a visit to a pathology collection centre, and imaging such as X-rays or ultrasounds needs a radiology clinic. Before your consultation, check where your nearest collection centre or clinic is and when it’s open. Your doctor can then send the referral to suit, and go through the results with you by phone.

Travelling for specialist care

If you need to travel a long way to see a specialist, you may be eligible for help with travel and accommodation costs. Every state and territory runs a patient travel assistance scheme. Healthdirect’s page on travelling to your healthcare appointment lists the scheme for each state.

Opening hours in your time zone

Teldoc consults from 9 am to 7 pm Sydney time, 7 days a week. Here’s what that means where you are:

If you work fly-in fly-out (FIFO) or shifts, an early-morning consultation in Western Australia, or a weekend appointment, may fit around your roster.

What still needs local care

Telehealth works best alongside local health services. You’ll still need to be seen in person for:

• examinations, such as listening to your chest or checking a painful joint
• vaccinations, wound care, stitches and skin checks
• regular reviews of long-term conditions, including chronic condition management plans, which Teldoc doesn’t provide
• anything that hasn’t improved after a telehealth consultation

Your local GP, community health service, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, nursing post or hospital remains important. If you don’t have a regular GP, the healthdirect service finder can help you find local services. For ongoing concerns, see using telehealth between GP visits.

When to get urgent help

Telehealth isn’t for emergencies. Call 000 for chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, a serious injury or any other emergency.

• From a mobile, you can also dial 112. It works on any available mobile network, but some mobile signal is still needed.
• If you live or travel where there’s no mobile coverage, know where the nearest landline is, and consider carrying a personal locator beacon or satellite communication device.
• If you’re unsure how urgent something is, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222, 24 hours a day, to speak to a registered nurse.

How Teldoc can help

Teldoc is an independent, Australian-owned telehealth GP service. Our AHPRA-registered GPs consult by phone or video Australia-wide, and most patients are seen within 15 minutes. General consultations are $55 on weekdays and $75 on weekends and public holidays, and some consultations are bulk billed for eligible patients. See our fees page for details, or find an online doctor near you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a telehealth consultation without good internet?

Yes. A phone consultation only needs mobile or landline reception. Video is helpful when the doctor needs to see something, but many concerns can be managed by phone.

Can I use an eScript at my local pharmacy?

Yes. An eScript can be dispensed at any pharmacy in Australia. Smaller pharmacies may not stock every medicine, so it’s worth phoning ahead.

What time can I see a Teldoc doctor in Western Australia?

Teldoc is open 9 am to 7 pm Sydney time. In Western Australia that’s 7 am to 5 pm, or 6 am to 4 pm while eastern states have daylight saving.

Is there help with the cost of travelling to see a specialist?

Each state and territory has a patient travel assistance scheme that may help eligible people in rural and remote areas with travel and accommodation costs. Healthdirect lists the scheme for each state.

This article is general health information and isn’t a substitute for advice from your own doctor. If you’re worried about your health, speak to a GP. In an emergency, call 000.

Medically reviewed by Dr Vafa Derakshan (MBBS, FRACGP), September 2026