International visitors

​The NSW Ministry of Health International Visitors Program (IVP) allows foreign delegations to visit and share knowledge with the NSW Ministry of Health.

Australia has a system of health care that is recognised as being one of the most effective in the world. The New South Wales (NSW) public health system is a critical part of this achievement.

NSW is home to one third of the Australian population. NSW Health is the largest health care system in Australia, and one of the largest in the world employing around 114,000 staff.

NSW Health is keen to collaborate with international visitors to address global health challenges and share innovative practices.

The International Visitors Program allows foreign delegations to visit and share knowledge with the NSW Ministry of Health. We welcome the opportunity to exchange information and innovative ideas with overseas counterparts in health related professions.

Each year, up to 300 visitors from around 12 countries are hosted by facilities within NSW Health. All parties find the program to be useful for exchanging information and fostering international networks for future collaboration.

Planning a visit

Key things to consider

• The Ministry of Health will generally not agree to participate in visits sought by educational or private bodies for their own profit in business operations.
• Your preferred dates for visiting will be subject to the availability of resources to conduct the visit.
• We can only host visits from February to November as most of our speakers are not available during December and January unless you have an exceptional request.
• In most cases we will plan multilateral workshops on specific topics in response to interest shown by our visitors.
• To get most out of a visit, we recommend that you limit your party to no more than 10 people and preferably no more than five if you delegation requires an interpreter.
• Due to budget constraints, we cannot fund visits; therefore each delegation is responsible for their own costs in relation to flight and accommodation booking, hiring an interpreter (if required), transfers etc.

Who can participate?

International counterparts involved in Health Service and general groups interested in learning about the comprehensive health service in New South Wales, Australia.

What the proposed visit should relate to

• Matters relating to the NSW Ministry of Health’s and other local health district/network’s responsibilities.
• Matters sought at an official level either directly by the government of the country concerned, or through its local consul or embassy
• Activities co-ordinated by another NSW or Federal Government agency.

Declining requests

NSW Ministry of Health will consider all requests for International Visits , however we reserve the right to decline based on operational requirements or visits that do not relate to our strategic objectives.

Australian Federal Government

Delegations seeking a national perspective may first wish to approach the NSW Ministry of Health’s federal counterpart, The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Types of visits

Study tour

The length of visit for a study tour varies from a half day to several days. The primary object of this visit is to observe and study the NSW Health System. This involves short meetings, site visits, presentations, workshop training and attending short courses. The number of delegates for this type of tour typically varies from 1-10 members.

Protocol visit

The length of Protocol Visits ranges from 1-2 hours. A formal meeting is arranged with the key officials from the NSW Ministry of Health and representatives from Local Health Districts to discuss key objectives.

Educational resources

• About Australia
  
• Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
  
• World Health Organisation
  

Contact us