Medical kits for remote areas

If you live in a remote area you can apply to the Northern Territory Government for an emergency medical kit. 

This kit is not for specialised workplaces. It is for people that do not have easy access to medical help. Common users of the kit include:

• families living and working on cattle stations
• rangers based in remote areas
• police based in remote areas.

You don't have to pay for these kits. They belong to and are funded by the Department of Health.

If you want to keep prescription medication in your kit, you must apply and pay for authorisation.

Conditions

Conditions for emergency medical kits include all of the following: 

• the kit needs to be available to everyone who needs it, not just the workmates or family of the authorised holder
• it is for emergencies and not to be used for normal household use or treatment of ongoing conditions
• you must not charge for giving treatment from the kit
• the authorised holder must make sure medicines are stored securely, and that records are kept
• you must contact the rural medical practitioner before using prescription medicines in the kit.

If you leave the site, you must contact Medicines and Poisons Control within seven days to cancel your authorisation.

A new authorisation must be organised for the next kit holder, or the kit contents must be returned to the hospital pharmacy they came from.

How to apply for authorisation

To get an authorisation for an emergency medical kit, you will need to follow these steps.

Step 1. Fill in the form

You will need to fill in an application to possess scheduled medicines in an emergency medical kit.

Step 2. Submit supporting documents

You will need to attach supporting documents if you want to keep injection equipment or medicines, or if the application is for an existing medical kit.

Step 3. Pay the fee

The fee for an authorisation is $57 per year.

You can renew your licence for one, two, or three years.

You can pay by cheque, money order or credit card.

Payments must be made to the Casuarina Receiver of Territory Monies.

Step 4. Submit the form

Submit the application form and a copy of your payment receipt using the following contact details:

Manager
Medicines and Poisons Control
Department of Health
PO Box 40596
Casuarina NT 0811
poisonscontrol@nt.gov.au
Fax: (08) 8922 7200

How to order your kit

Once authorised, follow these steps to get your kit.

Step 1. Fill in the form

You will need to fill in the emergency medical kit order form.

Step 2. Submit the form

For the Darwin, Katherine and East Arnhem regions, send the form to Katherine Hospital Pharmacy using the following contact details:

• The Pharmacy Manager
  Katherine Hospital
  PO Box 73
  Katherine NT 0852
  Phone: (08) 8973 9236
  Fax: (08) 8973 9010
  kdhpharmacy.ths@nt.gov.au

For the Alice Springs and Barkly region, send the form to Alice Springs Hospital Pharmacy using the following contact details:

• The Director of Pharmacy
  Pharmacy Department
  Alice Springs Hospital
  PO Box 2234
  Alice Springs NT 0871
  Phone: (08) 8951 7570
  Fax: (08) 8951 7766
  alicespringspharmacy.dhcs@nt.gov.au

You can choose to pick up your kit or have it delivered.

Step 3. Get your kit

You should allow three weeks before your kit is delivered.

You can collect your kit from:

• Alice Springs Hospital Pharmacy
• Katherine Hospital Pharmacy
• Barkly Mobile Health Service
• your nearest health centre.

Order items for your kit

You should replace items that have been used or have expired. 

To order supplies you will need to fill in an emergency medical kit order form.

Renewal

You should renew your licence before the expiry date. 

A renewal form will be sent to the authorised person about two months before it is due to expire.

It is your responsibility to renew your authorisation if you still need to keep and use the medicines.

Further information

For more information, get the guide to emergency medical kits at the Department of Health's Remote Health Atlas website.