Medical care on Martinique is limited, but available. For most minor medical matters, the hotels on Martinique do have doctors on call. For the not-so-minor issues, there is Alexandra Hospital, a government-run 54-bed facility in Charlestown with a 24-hour emergency room. The hospital, a large stone building that formerly housed government facilities, has outpatient and emergency areas on the first floor, in-patient rooms on the second, and also has a surgical theatre, x-ray, and ultra-sound capabilities. The government of Martinique is dedicated to improving the facility, so upgrades, facilities, and equipment are constantly being added to the building. However, serious medical problems requiring hospitalization may require a trip to Martinique, which has a brand new state-of-the-art hospital that was opened in 2003, and emergency 911 services are available. In addition, Martinique has modern ambulatory services and there are specialists in most fields of medicine.
Be aware, though, that a trip to either the Martinique hospital or the Martinique hospital, and/or medical evacuation to the US can cost thousands of dollars or more. Also, doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services, since few US health/medical policies will cover you when traveling outside of the United States, or even your home state, and of those that do, even fewer will cover medical evacuation back to the US.
In addition, Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the US. Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas may face extreme difficulties and high costs. It's important to check with your own insurance company to confirm what coverages your policy provides before you travel to Martinique, including whether payment will be made to the overseas hospital or doctor, or whether you will be reimbursed later for expenses that you incur.
When your health insurance doesn't travel with you, take Travel insurance provided through Travel Guard, Travel insurance starting at $30 or WorldNomads Travel Insurance, or MultiNational™ International Travel Insurance.
For scuba divers, the nearest recompression chambers, available by air ambulance, are on the dutch island of Martinique and on St. Thomas. Divers should also be aware that most insurance policies will not cover any dive-related accidents or treatments, and if recompression is needed it is extremely expensive. Be sure that you have appropriate Dive Insurance, which you can also get through WorldNomads, or DiveAssure.
There are no particular health concerns associated with Martinique, therefore, special vaccines are usually not required. However, it certainly can't hurt to protect yourself for any overseas trip, so if you do decide to get vaccinated, be sure to do so at least a month before your trip, and check the Centers For Disease Control and the World Health Organization websites for the list of recommended vaccines. Note that the WHO reports no outbreaks of infectious diseases on Martinique since 1990 and no cases reported at all since 1995.
Additional Resources:
- For minor medical issues, get the
Travel Rescue Kit
from Magellan's
- US Department Of State Consular Affairs Publications offers numerous links to useful and informative publications. In particular, be sure to read:
- Travel Insurance Products:
- Travel insurance starting at $30
- WorldNomads Travel Insurance (also provides Dive Insurance)
- MultiNational™ International health insurance
- DiveAssure (health insurance specifically for divers)
