Medical Journey in the UK, New (Part 2)

Written by Haya Abu Shaban, Reviewed by DR. Tamer El Nakhal, Edited by Majed Jaber

In this article we will tackle a few more things in regards to settling in the UK, this includes health care, bank accounts, and shopping.

Medical Journey in the UK

Health care

If you’re a student who is enrolled in a 6-month program or longer, health care is free so you don’t need health insurance. After settling, register at your nearest physician (GP).

Medications aren’t free albeit cheap, costing around £8 at most. Health care doesn’t include dentists, which means you will need to either privately insure it or pay by yourself. Those working as healthcare doctors after they have registered in the GMC will be exempted from paying NHS fees as of 2021.

In the case of any medical, or non-medical, emergency, 999 is the number to call; it’s the number for the police, fire department, and ambulance.

Bank accounts

As soon as you’re in the UK, make an appointment to go open up a bank account. This will help you in securing the money in an account. Post-COVID, a lot of venues are cashless, which means a card is necessary.

There are various physical banks that you can open up an account with including Nationwide, LLOYDS, HSBC, Santander, etc. Also, there are virtual banks that may help you at the beginning especially if you came in for PLAB 2 and you do not have BRP, then consider downloading the REVOLUT App, or MONZO APP, and registering with them with your UK number. They will send you a virtual bank card. Remember, if you lose your card, you can instantly cancel it from the app.

Documents that is needed for a bank account (not the virtual ones including REVOLUT OR MONZO):

• A Passport
• A confirmation from your university stating that you will attend full time (you can get it from student affairs or the international office at your university) or confirmation of employment or contract if you are a newly registered Doctor
• The Address (as well as proof like a water/ electric bill).

Shopping

Even in the same city, prices differ from store to store. Poundland is among the cheapest options, but other grocery stores like TESCO, Aldi, LIDL, ASDA, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s offer great deals as well, compare their prices to see which one suits you the best. For utensils, equipment, books, and anything really; online shopping is the way to go, considering it’s faster and cheaper, eBay, Amazon, and Argos are great options.

Discount seasons are a great time to shop for gifts and clothes, so do your shopping around Christmas time (from 15th Dec to 15th Jan) as well as easter time (April).

Apps like UniDays and cards like NUS (national union of students) also provide great discounts for students. Make sure to ask around where to find them. Discounts go a long way and save you loads in the long run. There is also an app called Blue Light Card for NHS workers, and it offers a range from 5-50% discounts on regular things you can buy.

More yet to come, stay tuned for our upcoming articles, and follow our UK pathway page:
https://mdguidance.com/category/uk-pathway/

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