🇲🇸 Montserrat Healthcare Guide
Montserrat has a single small public facility — Glendon Hospital in Brades — providing primary care and emergency stabilisation for the ~5,000 residents. Anything beyond that is referred to Mount St John's Medical Centre on Antigua, and visitors must carry comprehensive Caribbean medevac insurance.
Quick facts
- Emergency number: 911
- Healthcare system: limited
- Average GP visit: $75 USD
- EHIC/GHIC accepted: No
- Language barrier: low
Healthcare overview
Glendon Hospital in Brades is Montserrat's only hospital — a small ~30-bed facility with A&E, maternity, and basic inpatient care. The 1995 Soufrière Hills volcanic eruption destroyed the original hospital in Plymouth and forced relocation to the safe-zone north of the island; Glendon is the rebuilt successor.
For complex care — surgery beyond basic, advanced diagnostics, obstetric complications, oncology, cardiac intervention — patients are routinely transferred to Mount St John's Medical Centre on Antigua, a 20-minute helicopter or short ferry ride away. Onward referral to Trinidad, Puerto Rico, or the US is arranged for tertiary needs.
UK GHIC is NOT accepted post-Brexit. Visitors must carry travel insurance with comprehensive Caribbean coverage including medical evacuation. The volcanic exclusion zone on the southern half of the island remains active; residents and visitors are restricted to the northern zone.
Vaccinations
Recommended
- Routine vaccines up to date
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid (for stays >2 weeks)
- Tetanus booster
Prescriptions and pharmacies
Montserrat follows UK-influenced prescribing rules. Bring enough medication for your stay plus a buffer; the pharmacy stocks routine medications but specialty drugs may require ordering from Antigua.
Controlled substances need a doctor's letter and original packaging on entry. Routine medications follow standard British practice.