"Never received our medical records."

My partner has a history of various medical conditions (body pain, etc). We tried so many different treatments, but had no results. We decided to visit our home country and get a second, expert opinion. We requested the medical centre to provide us with full records including tests etc. to show what we have tried and focus on other areas.  We were on a short trip, so we wanted to provide as much information as we could.

When we told the centre our intention to get medical records, they refused to give us anything. Upon our insistence, they agreed to give us a summary only if we paid for it.

All these things delayed the information. We ended up going overseas without the records, meaning the opportunity and trip was wasted. We still haven't received the records. 

In my opinion, the Australian medical system is a rip-off. There is no one to protect the patient, especially those from overseas who are not aware of their rights or afraid of exercising them.