The Healthcare System in Angola: Public, Private, Access to Care and Health Risks

Angolan healthcare consists of public hospitals and health centres run by the State, and a private sector that is developing mainly in Luanda. World Bank indicators illustrate the scale of the needs: current health expenditure is around USD 76 per capita (about 2.5% of GDP), life expectancy at birth is about 65 years, and the country has about 0.2 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants. Households directly finance about a third of health expenditure, which means that out-of-pocket costs play a significant role.

France Diplomatie describes diagnoses, tests and care that do not yet meet international standards. For Luanda, the page indicates selected facilities in a dedicated box; their names can be read on the France Diplomatie page and confirmed with the French embassy in Luanda, as can the assistance provider of the contract taken out. Outside the capital, the range of care is much more limited.

Angola is not on the list of States linked to France by a social security agreement published by CLEISS (the French liaison centre for social security abroad): the carte Vitale therefore opens no rights there, and there is no coordination between the schemes. An employee recruited locally is in principle declared to Angolan social security by the employer; the extent of benefits, the facilities concerned and the conditions of access for a foreign employee should be confirmed with the Angolan social security institute (INSS) and the employer, as the pages consulted do not give the detail.

For self-employed people, retirees, families and tourists, there is no scheme open as of right: cover comes through the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’Étranger, the French expatriate social security fund), international health insurance or, for a seconded employee, continuation of the French scheme. The page on healthcare reimbursement in Angola details each situation.

The official pages consulted do not describe a family-doctor system comparable to that of France: a resident chooses a doctor or a facility according to their cover, checking with their insurer the list of partner facilities under their contract and the conditions of direct payment. The best-equipped facilities are concentrated in Luanda.

France Diplomatie does not publish a medical emergency number for Angola. Before arrival, it is therefore worth saving the number of the assistance provider in your contract, the address of the facility closest to your home and that of the embassy (+244 226 425 557). For passing travellers, the contract number and the insurer’s contact details can be entered in the Ariane system. At peak hours and during the rainy season, from October to May, journeys to the hospital can be long: the choice of housing takes this constraint into account.

France Diplomatie recommends taking only the medicines needed, in their original packaging, with a prescription written using the international nonproprietary name, and checking that they are authorised in the country. For long-term treatment, a supply for the whole period of the stay is preferable. It advises against buying medicines on the street, because of the risk of counterfeits.

It is useful to identify a reliable pharmacy in advance and to find out whether the treatment is available locally. For patients with a chronic illness, preparing the stay also includes a recent medical report and, if the contract provides for it, the insurer’s prior agreement on coverage of treatments.

The French vaccination schedule must be up to date (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles). Depending on the profile and the length of stay, France Diplomatie mentions yellow fever (recommended, but no longer required on entry since the decree of 25/10/2023 for travellers not coming from a country at risk), hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningitis ACWY in the dry season or in the event of an epidemic, tuberculosis for children under 15 on frequent or prolonged stays, rabies, chikungunya, dengue and mpox in the event of risk exposure.

The risks relate first to mosquito-borne diseases: malaria, with a reported resurgence, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika, which calls for particular vigilance for pregnant women. Added to these are cholera, whose outbreaks have recurred (with outbreaks in several provinces including Luanda), measles, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and meningococcal meningitis. Prevention rests on protection against bites, water and food hygiene and hand washing.

France Diplomatie indicates that most serious conditions require medical evacuation. An assistance contract or insurance covering medical costs, surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation is judged essential; the embassy can in no case pay these costs. The contract is compared on the annual ceiling, evacuation to a better-equipped country or to France, the handling of pre-existing conditions and direct payment.

Before departure, a health file makes any care easier: up-to-date vaccination record, recent medical report for a chronic illness, list of treatments by international nonproprietary name, contract number and contact details of the assistance provider. Passing travellers can enter these details in the Ariane system, which allows the embassy to reach them in the event of a health crisis or an alert, for example during the cholera epidemics reported.

The notions of medical evacuation and medical repatriation help to read the offers; the page on expat health insurance presents the solutions, and Expavy helps to compare them against your situation. For settling in, see living in Angola.