Emergency

What if Things Go Wrong?

There are several good pharmacies located along Lini Highway through Port Vila, and also in Luganville. You don’t need a script to purchase antibiotics in Vanuatu, and the chemists are all friendly and willing to assist if they can. The pharmacy located near the library in Port Vila is run by an Australian Pharmacist and his staff all have excellent English. There is another chemist located at the other end of Port Vila, near the Waterfront Bar, that also has an excellent range of products. The Pharmacists are French, but speak fluent English.

In the unlikely event that you needed to be airlifted back to Port Vila or further afield to New Zealand or Australia, local company Promedical are equipped to handle this. Port Vila and Luganville both have hospitals for emergencies or assessment. There are also smaller hospitals, which are more like rural clinics, on most of the outer islands. While their facilities are basic, they are a source of antibiotics and first aid in case of an emergency.

We have had stitches, infections, two as yet unidentified tropical bugs, a broken rib, and a range of childhood woes treated very effectively here, so there is no need to worry unduly.

Dr Jean King and his team come highly recommended. They have a 24 hour phone number, so after hours can meet you at the clinic if something can’t wait until morning. His clinic is located opposite the Waterfront Bar and Grill in Port Vila, just up the hill from the casino, on the top side of Lini Highway. It is above the local medical centre. You access his surgery from the rear of the building.

For any major operations or setting a complicated broken bone, it can be best to return home, after getting assessed locally first of course. This is where a good quality travel insurance policy comes in. Some credit cards also offer insurance, but please read the fine print to ensure your policy covers your personal needs entirely.

House Calls – After Hours Medical Assistance

Dr Carine Morel-Boyce is a lovely French doctor who speaks excellent English too. Her particular focus is family medicine (new borns, babies and small children, after birth care, general medicine and chronic diseases) as well as tropical diseases and “small” emergencies such as wound management, stitches, joint sprains, setting casts and infection care.She is also the medical doctor referrent for the French Embassy.

You can call +678 22255 or +678 22254 from 8am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday if you would like an appointment.For after hours requests, you can call on +678 777 4111 or call Promedical on 115 (they have her personal mobile) and she will be happy to help if she is available.

She can also do House calls on request. Dr Carine’s standard fee is 5,500 vatu (around $65AUD) for a standard consultation without any duration limit. Her after hours consultation is 15,000 vatu (around $180AUD) and 20,000 vatu (around $240AUD) for a night-time call out.

Emergency Contact Details

Other Medical Professionals