🇩🇲 Dominica Healthcare Guide
Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau is Dominica's only hospital, and while it covers basic emergency and surgical care, the island's mountainous terrain means reaching it from the northern parishes can take over an hour on winding roads. If you're staying in the more remote parts of the island — Portsmouth, Calibishie, or near the Waitukubuli Trail — saving the hospital's location and the local emergency number (999) on your phone before heading out is practical preparation.
Quick facts
- Emergency number: 112
- Healthcare system: mixed
- Average GP visit: $25 USD
- EHIC/GHIC accepted: No
- Language barrier: medium
Healthcare overview
Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau is Dominica’s only hospital, rebuilt after Hurricane Maria devastated the island’s healthcare infrastructure in 2017. Dominica markets itself as the Nature Island, and its mountainous interior (including the Waitukubuli Trail and Boiling Lake) is genuinely remote from any medical facility. Private clinics in Roseau handle routine consultations, but specialist cases evacuate to Guadeloupe or Martinique.
Waitukubuli Trail remoteness
The 14-segment Waitukubuli Trail passes through areas hours from any clinic. Know where the nearest health centre is for each segment before setting out.
Hurricane Maria recovery
Healthcare infrastructure was heavily damaged in 2017. Roseau’s hospital has been rebuilt, but some regional health centres remain limited.
Vaccinations
Recommended
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Typhoid
Prescriptions and pharmacies
Roseau has a few pharmacies stocking basic medications, but specialist prescriptions are often unavailable on the island. Portsmouth has one pharmacy. If hiking the interior, your medication needs to travel in your daypack rather than relying on reaching a town.
Interior hiking supply
There are no pharmacies or health posts along most of the Waitukubuli Trail or en route to Boiling Lake. Carry everything with you.
Tips for travellers
Princess Margaret Hospital provides general care but has minimal specialist capabilities. Guadeloupe’s CHU (30 minutes by air) and Martinique’s CHUM are the nearest specialist facilities, and both operate in French. Having your condition history and medication list available in English and French covers both Dominica’s providers and the French-system hospitals you’d be transferred to.
Bilingual medical records
Dominica is English-speaking, but evacuation hospitals (Guadeloupe, Martinique) operate in French. Records in both languages cover the full referral chain.