This is for the nervous folk like me!
I recently had my medical examination in London at Visa Medicals. And it was no where near as bad as I thought it would be.
For context, gathering the necessary paperwork for this from my GP was a real pain. As I’m sure most of you have experienced. Despite having no ongoing or previous conditions, any history of mental illness, drug/alcohol issues or criminal past. My brain defaulted to the potential that I would be subject to extra scrutiny due to lack of medical history.
If this sounds like it could be you then let me tell you, that’s not the case.
I arrived in the afternoon. The lady behind the counter took all my medical summary, passport and police certificate to photocopy. She then gave me a more detailed questionnaire to fill out whilst I waited.
First up was my vaccinations, I had everything up to date aside from my hep b jab. A tip for those who haven’t their hep b jab, you only need one to pass the medical. This one jab costs £50. If you were to do the full course at say your GP or pharmacy, you’re looking at around £120-£150. Do with this information as you may!
I was then called in for my chest x-ray. All I had to do was remove my t shirt, stand up against the screen and then I was good to go.
Lastly I was called in to discuss my medical questionnaire with the practitioner. The lady I spoke with was really pleasant. She asked me about any previous medical issues and a few lifestyle questions. I then had a quick vision test before removing my top again to sit on the bed to be given the full MOT which included blood pressure, lymph node checks, heart beat checks and then a glance for any scaring. To which I had scares from an operation I had as a child which I’d disclosed.
She then took my blood whilst I laid on the bed.
After that she explained that my results will be sent to the embassy after 5 working days once they do all their checks. She explained that no news is good news. If anything needed to be followed up I’d be contacted in the next couple of days. But she said that glancing at my x-ray results that everything looked to be all good.
I then went back to the front desk to collect my passport and settle the tab. My total came to £430 (£380 for the medical + £50 for the hep b vaccination)
To anyone who was nervous about their upcoming medical, I can assure you that if you’re a cut and dry case like me then you have absolutely nothing to worry about! I hope this puts your minds at ease!
Feel free to shoot me any questions!