🇲🇭 Marshall Islands Healthcare Guide
Limited care concentrated on Majuro and Ebeye — most serious cases are medevaced to Hawaii or the Philippines under the country's referral programme.
Quick facts
- Emergency number: 911
- Ambulance: 625-4144
- Healthcare system: limited
- Average GP visit: $40 USD
- EHIC/GHIC accepted: No
- Language barrier: low
Healthcare overview
The Marshall Islands has two hospitals: Leroij Atama Memorial Hospital in Majuro (the capital) and Leroij Kitlang Memorial Hospital on Ebeye. Outer atolls are served only by community health clinics with limited supplies. The Ministry of Health and Human Services runs all public facilities, with care funded partly through a Compact of Free Association with the United States.
Capabilities are basic — primary care, basic surgery, maternity, and stabilisation. Anything complex (cardiology, oncology, advanced trauma, neurosurgery) is referred under the national medical referral programme, typically to Hawaii (Honolulu), Manila, or Taiwan. Travellers should plan around evacuation rather than expecting in-country specialty care.
Vaccinations
Recommended
- Routine vaccines up to date
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Hepatitis B (longer stays)
- Rabies (rural / outdoor activity)
Prescriptions and pharmacies
Bring all prescription medications with you in original packaging, with a doctor's letter listing each medication by INN (generic) name, dose, and indication. Pharmacy stocks in Majuro and Ebeye are limited and frequently run out, especially for chronic-disease drugs.
Foreign prescriptions are not directly fillable. If you'll need refills, plan to medevac out or have a friend ship medications under a US-style import permit. US-format prescriptions are most familiar to local pharmacists.
Medication brand names follow US/Pacific conventions — Tylenol for paracetamol, Advil for ibuprofen. Pharmacies are attached to the hospitals; there are no large retail pharmacy chains.
Diabetes and hypertension drugs are frequently out of stock. If you depend on insulin or any specialty medication, bring at least double your trip duration and confirm cold-chain storage at your accommodation.