🇬🇫 French Guiana Healthcare Guide
Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne is the main facility and provides reasonable care for an overseas French department, but outside Cayenne and Kourou, healthcare access — particularly in the interior rainforest communities — is extremely limited. Yellow Fever vaccination is required for entry, and carrying your certificate alongside your medical summary saved in French and accessible offline covers both the border check and any clinical encounter.
Quick facts
- Emergency number: 112
- Healthcare system: mixed
- Average GP visit: $25 USD
- EHIC/GHIC accepted: No
- Language barrier: medium
Healthcare overview
Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne (Andrée Rosemon) is French Guiana’s main hospital, providing emergency and inpatient care. As a French overseas department, the French healthcare system applies, including EHIC coverage for EU citizens. Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni have smaller hospitals. The interior (accessed via river) has health posts with minimal equipment. Having your health summary saved and accessible offline is worth doing, as connectivity in the interior is unreliable.
French healthcare system
French Guiana operates under the French healthcare system. EHIC is accepted, and the pay-then-claim model applies as in mainland France.
Interior remoteness
The rainforest interior is accessible only by river. Health posts have basic capabilities; serious cases require evacuation to Cayenne.
Vaccinations
Required
- Yellow Fever
Recommended
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Typhoid
- Malaria prophylaxis
Prescriptions and pharmacies
Pharmacies in Cayenne follow French pharmaceutical standards and carry most standard medications. Interior communities have no pharmacies. Carry your full medication supply for any travel beyond Cayenne, Kourou, or Saint-Laurent, and include a buffer for river travel delays.
French pharmaceutical standards
French Guiana’s pharmacies follow the same regulations as mainland France. French prescriptions and ordonnances are accepted directly.
Tips for travellers
Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne covers most general specialist care, but complex conditions are referred to hospitals in mainland France (typically Paris or Bordeaux via direct flights). Having your treatment plan saved and accessible offline in French means Cayenne’s providers can manage your care and prepare referral documentation if mainland transfer is needed.
Mainland France referrals
For specialist care beyond Cayenne’s capacity, transfer to mainland French hospitals (Paris, Bordeaux) is the standard pathway.