Frequently asked questions

One doctor

Unlike other online services, you will get a more personable, transparent and consistent experience by dealing with Dr Jimmy only.

He will be the only one issuing your medical certificates and writing your prescriptions.

Dr Jimmy is easily approachable via email or WhatsApp if you're ever unsure about the services he offers or would like to request for something more customised.

Affordable

We are an owner-operator business, so we can keep our services affordable and make improvements quickly based on your suggestions to better serve you.

Complete service

We deliver a complete online General Practice service and not just a Medical Certificate service.

This ensures that all your demands are met in the one place and handled by the same doctor.

Specialist GP

Dr Jimmy is an Australian-trained AHPRA-registered specialist GP and not a hospital or trainee doctor.

We are an easy-to-use online healthcare platform that provides affordable and easily accessible on-demand GP services Australia wide.

Our mission is to combine the convenience of online healthcare with the accountability and continuity of care that is characteristic of traditional services.

To achieve this, you will be dealing directly with Dr Jimmy who is committed to providing innovative and quality healthcare.

Dr Jimmy is an Australian-trained GP who is based in Melbourne, Victoria.

He has been practising medicine since 2011 (GP since 2013), and has been involved in educating and examining GP trainees and medical students.

He is registered with AHPRA as a Specialist General Practitioner and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).

His special interests include:

• telehealth
• mental health
• student support
• health efficiency

His clinic details can be found here should you wish to see him in person.

Our services are completely private and are not covered by Medicare.

We believe that prevention is better than cure. We therefore do not ask for logins or passwords and do not store any of your personal details on our website.

Instead, data collected when you make a booking (including payment details) is handled by Halaxy which is the online clinical software we use to conduct our services.

They have "256-bit bank grade security and encryption", which means your "records, notes, and payment information are protected to the same level required by banks".

You are eligible for a Short Consult if you are:

• 18 years or older, and generally healthy
• unable to attend work or university (for absence only, not for assessment purposes)
• unwell with the common cold or a mild stomach bug
• unwell with any other minor short-term illness (please email to check first)
• unable to work because you are caring for someone who is unwell

A Standard Consult fee of $45 applies if you:

• need a certificate to cover more than 2 days
• require a Backdated Medical or Carer's Certificate to cover yesterday or days prior
• need a return to work or "fit for work" certificate for a minor short-term illness
• need the certificate to apply for special consideration because you missed an assessment for school or university
• need a certificate to cancel a flight, holiday or an event because of illness
• are an adolescent from 13 to 17 years old (children younger than 13 are not eligible)

A Priority Consult fee of $89 applies if you:

• need university forms completed
• require prescription medication
• require a specialist referral
• require tests done

If you are unsure about which appointment to book, please email us first.

We DO NOT provide:

• centrelink certificates
• certificates for court or police matters
• fit for work or return to work certificates where you have sustained a severe injury and require an examination

We have an easy, no-fuss refund policy (see Privacy & Terms).

See how to attend a consultation here.

Step 1 - Choose Appointment

Check that you have chosen the correct appointment type.

Step 2 - Book Appointment

Click on "BOOK NOW", which will take you to our online bookings page.

Choose the correct appointment type.

Step 3 - Select Appointment Time

Choose either the 10-11 AM or 2-3 PM session times (Melbourne time).

Step 4 - Enter Your Details

Enter your name as you would like it to appear on the certificate and verify that your email address is correct.

Carer's certificates are booked under the name of the carer, not the person you are caring for.

Step 5 - Complete Intake Form

Complete the online intake form. This can be done either via a link on the final page once your booking is confirmed or via a link sent to your email.

For Carer's certificates, you will be asked here to provide the details of the person you are caring for.

Please ensure you have submitted the form correctly by arriving at a blue confirmation page.

Step 6 - Doctor Consultation

At your appointment session time, check in on WhatsApp by sending Dr Jimmy a message so he knows you are available and waiting to begin the consultation.

Please ensure you have WhatsApp installed first before checking in. Further details will be emailed to you once you have booked the appointment successfully.

If you are unable to install WhatsApp or prefer not to use it, you may check in online via the live chat feature on our website by clicking on the chat bubble icon. However, the connection is less reliable and we may need to restart the consultation from the beginning should you get disconnected.

Further instructions will be provided to you once you have checked in.

If you are unable to attend your appointment, you may try again at the next available session time. Dr Jimmy is typically available for catch-up consultations at around 9 PM Melbourne time via WhatsApp only.

Step 7 - Get Certificate

If there are no concerns, you will receive your certificate by email usually within 2-5 hours depending on your appointment type (latest by midnight).

A consultation is a discussion between a patient and a doctor to assess symptoms, provide medical advice, and plan treatment.

According to the Medical Board of Australia , Telehealth Consultations can include "video, internet or telephone consultations", and "can be used to provide triage, diagnosis, treatment and preventive health services".

WhatsApp is a secure instant messaging app that allows users to communicate in real time via text, voice or video.

Some of its benefits include:

• Secure end-to-end encryption. This means no one outside of the chat (not even WhatsApp) can read or listen to the conversation.
• Requires only an internet connection.
• Allow sharing of medical documents, photos and videos about your condition.
• Free to use across various devices including desktop via WhatsApp Web .

A Medical Certificate, also known as a "(dr) doctor's certificate" or "sick leave certificate" or "sick note" or "sick certificate" or "med cert", is a legal document issued by a doctor containing evidence that a person is entitled to sick leave due to suffering from a medical condition.

See which appointment types we offer here.

Our Medical Certificates are valid and comply with Fair Work Act 2009 s.107 and Australian Medical Association (AMA) guidelines .

Our Certificates are also verifiable by email.

We offer both a 1-Day TODAY ONLY and 2-Day TODAY AND TOMORROW Medical Certificate.

See which appointment types we offer here.

It is not a legal requirement to state what medical condition you have. In some instances, it can be counterproductive disclosing your medical condition to a third party.

We therefore do not state it in our certificates in order to protect your privacy and maintain strict patient confidentiality.

The exception is if you need to have "URTI" (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection) annotated on the certificate. You may select this option in the intake form.

Yes, our Medical Certificates can also be used for your university or school.

A Short Consult covers you for absence only, whereas a Standard Consult ($45) is required if you need a certificate for assessment purposes.

If you need a letter of support or help in completing special consideration forms, you will need to book a Priority Consult ($89).

A Carer's Certificate, also known as a "Carer's leave certificate", certifies that you are unable to work because you are caring for someone who is unwell.

The certificate will include the name of the person being cared for and their relationship to you. You will be asked to provide these details in the intake form as well as details about their medical condition.

See how to attend a consultation here.

You will need to get a Backdated Medical Certificate.

According to the Australian Medical Association (AMA) guidelines , the term "backdate" can have two distinct meanings:

• First meaning: changing the date that a certificate is issued or written to a previous date (strictly prohibited)
• Second meaning: certifying that the patient was unfit for work prior to the date that they were seen or assessed (consistent with guidelines)

Certificates must be dated on the day on which they are written. The terms "backdate" or "backdated" used by us will therefore always refer to the second meaning.

See Backdated Medical Certificate.

A Backdated Medical Certificate certifies that you were unfit for work prior to the date that you are seen or assessed. It is issued after careful consideration of your circumstances.

This is not to be confused with the issue date of the certificate, which is the date on which the certificate is written. This date cannot be backdated or forward dated.

You are eligible if:

• you had a minor short-term illness from which you have already recovered
• the duration of your illness did not exceed 7 consecutive days
• there are no concerns raised by Dr Jimmy

See how to attend a consultation here.

Dr Jimmy offers all GP services that can be safely delivered online. These include, but are not limited to:

• after hours service (including weekends and public holidays)
• providing medical advice
• counselling
• coordinating, planning and managing your health care
• providing a letter of support or completing special consideration forms for your university/school (ID required)
• issuing extended/customised medical certificates when appropriate
• issuing online prescriptions (such as for UTIs, the contraceptive "birth-control" pill, etc. please see online prescriptions)
• requesting pathology (lab) and radiology (imaging) tests, and discussing the results with you
• providing specialist referrals
• liaison - connecting with specialists, and other health professionals, on your behalf where necessary to optimise your health care

Dr Jimmy is passionate about all areas of general practice and brings a holistic approach to health care. Find out more about him here.

Yes. However, you will need to provide us with your Individual Health Identifier (IHI) which can be obtained from IHI - Services Australia .

A fit-for-work certificate, also known as a "fit to work" certificate or a "clearance certificate", is essentially the opposite to a medical certificate.

Instead of stating that you are unfit for work, the certificate clears you as being safe to return to work.

Usually it is a requirement by some workplaces where suffering from a certain medical condition could pose a safety hazard.

For example, you may be suffering from sleep problems and need to operate heavy machinery at work. Or a child needs to be cleared to return to childcare.

In either case, a thorough assessment is required. A Standard Consult is necessary to review any documentation or evidence to support your return to work.

If you've sustained a serious injury and an examination is required, you will need to see a doctor in person.

In the case of a child, a face-to-face assessment is needed to ensure they are well enough to return to childcare.

A Standard Consult $45 is required for adolescents aged 13 to 17.

Younger children will require a face-to-face assessment and are therefore not eligible for our online services.

If you are located in Melbourne, Dr Jimmy is more than happy to examine your child at his clinic .

You may however get a Carer's Certificate if you are caring for a child of any age.