Skip to main content
MENU
Services & Clinics
About us News
Hospital map Parking Visitor information Transport Amenities Admission Hospital rooms Nearby accommodation Outpatient appointments Getting ready to leave Health checks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Concerns for your care Disability support and services Interpreters and cultural support Social work department Spiritual care Volunteer support Freedom of information Overseas patients Patient privacy Paying your bill Preparing for surgery Private patients Rights and responsibilities
Services & Clinics
About us News
Hospital map Parking Visitor information Transport Amenities Admission Hospital rooms Nearby accommodation Outpatient appointments Getting ready to leave Health checks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Concerns for your care Disability support and services Interpreters and cultural support Social work department Spiritual care Volunteer support Freedom of information Overseas patients Patient privacy Paying your bill Preparing for surgery Private patients Rights and responsibilities

What we do

SA Tuberculosis services (SA TB) provides statewide services for tuberculosis patients, including rural, remote and isolated locations.

SA TB provides:

  • tuberculin skin tests (TST)
  • interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) for tuberculosis testing
  • x-rays, CT scans and sputum tests
  • Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccinations.

Access to TB services within the SA public health system is available to all patients for free, with no out of pocket expenses, regardless of:

  • citizenship
  • Medicare eligibility
  • residential status
  • Visa status
  • health insurance status, or
  • whether or not a patient has a referral from a health care provider.

Where to find us

RAH Chest Clinic is located on Ground Floor, Level 3, 3E Wing 2 of Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Who we are

Sentence about the team - add names if you want, this is optional.

You need a referral from a GP or medical practitioner to access this service.

Once your referral has been received it will be triaged according to clinical urgency.

If your referral is accepted, you will either:

  • receive a letter, phone call or text message confirming your appointment time, date and location
  • receive a letter confirming you have been waitlisted for an appointment.

If the referral is declined, your GP or referring medical practitioner will be notified.

All inpatient and outpatient TB services within the SA public health system is available to all patients for free, with no out of pocket expenses. 

This includes pathology, radiology, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals related to the screening, care and management of people with suspected, active or latent TB, and their actual or suspected contacts.

Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination

A BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine is available for Tuberculosis (TB) but it is not part of the routine childhood immunisation program. 

The vaccine does not prevent TB infection but can protect against severe forms of tuberculosis. 

When given to infants and young children, it minimises the risk of death, meningitis, and disseminated TB. 

  • BCG vaccine is only provided through the SA TB service
  • All patients requiring a tuberculin skin test or BCG vaccination will need to be referred to the Chest Clinic by a GP or medical practitioner
  • The BCG vaccine currently available in Australia is not registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government
  • We encourage you to read all BCG fact sheets before requesting a BCG vaccination
  • The BCG vaccine should be given 3 months prior to travel
  • We will contact you within 15 working days of your request
  • Allow several weeks for your appointment with TB SA.

More information

We accept GP and specialist referrals to this service. Emergency cases can present to the Emergency Department at any time.

Referrals sent via email are preferred. 

Use the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) as a referral guide. 

To ensure timely triage, include all demographic and clinical details. 

The service triages referrals according to clinical urgency. 

Urgent and serious referrals

If you are concerned about the appointment being delayed or if the patient's condition is deteriorating, contact the registrar to discuss. 

Registrars are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Patients requiring immediate assessment should be sent directly to the Emergency Department.

More information

Back to top