The Healthcare System in Montserrat: Glendon Hospital, Health Centres, Emergencies and Evacuations

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (E. Karney Osborne Building, Little Bay; tel. +1 664 491 2880/2881) runs five divisions: primary care, secondary care, social services, environmental health and strategic management. Primary care rests on four district centres and a dental clinic; secondary care, on Glendon Hospital, where patients arrive mainly on referral from primary care, from a private doctor or from the emergency department. Private doctors also practise: the hospital's page cites them among the patient referral routes, without detailing their fees.

The public sector is small. The ministry’s workforce report lists about ten doctors (8 of them on contracts of one to three years, as most are not from the island), about thirty nurses, 8 practising midwives, 2 dentists and 2 pharmacists, and notes that the supply of specialists is limited. The same report describes the hospital as housed in a converted former primary school, and announces a new hospital project. The Minister of Health mentions advanced emergency care, management of chronic diseases, cancer screening on site and better medical evacuation systems.

No compulsory public health insurance scheme was identified in the sources read. Public care follows the scale in the Public Hospital Regulations (Cap. 14.01), whose amounts were not read. The text published on 23 January 2026 (S.R.O. 4 of 2026, which cancels S.R.O. 1 of 2026) specifies: the scale applies to Montserratians; a person who is not Montserratian pays double the scale; however, citizens of a state of the Caribbean Community and citizens of the Dominican Republic who have lived there for at least three years, as well as UK residents holding a British health service medical card, are aligned with the Montserratian rate. Children have free access to care. A French resident therefore comes in principle, barring an exception, under the doubled rate; the definition of “Montserratian” and any rules for permanent residents should be confirmed with the ministry.

The ministry’s social services department grants medical assistance (surgery, tests, dental care, eyesight, hearing, medicines) to Montserratians and permanent residents, after means testing; beneficiaries generally undertake to repay part of it. The Montserrat Social Security Fund pays cash benefits (sickness, maternity, disability, retirement) without reimbursing care; see healthcare reimbursement in Montserrat. The United Kingdom’s travel advice reminds readers that payment up front may be required and recommends health insurance covering care and repatriation.

First contact takes place at the district centres, open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The doctor consultation schedule varies by centre: at St John’s (+1 664 491 5218), the doctor sees patients on Wednesday and Thursday, with a paediatrician and a chronic disease clinic; at Cudjoe Head (+1 664 491 5258), on Monday; at St Peter’s (+1 664 491 5436), on Wednesday; at Salem (+1 664 491 5256), on Friday. The hypertension and diabetes, child health and antenatal clinics are spread through the week between the centres, and home visits are organised. The hospital’s page asks patients with no emergency to go to the district centres rather than to the emergency department.

The ministry also has a mental health unit in St John’s (a visiting consultant psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, a psychiatric nurse) and a public dental clinic in St John’s (+1 664 491 7404), which offers scaling, restorative care, extractions and sealants free of charge for categories of people that the page does not detail.

Glendon Hospital, in St John’s, is the island’s main secondary care facility. Its services include the laboratory, pharmacy, radiology (X-ray, ultrasound), physiotherapy, obstetrics, general surgery, general medicine, geriatrics, electrocardiogram and a visiting specialists programme (urology, cardiology, gynaecology, orthopaedics). The emergency department (Casualty) is open 24 hours a day: it is staffed by nurses, with a doctor on duty during the day and on call at night, at weekends and on public holidays. The contact details are +1 664 491 2552, 2836 or 2843 for the hospital and +1 664 491 2802 for emergencies only.

The United Kingdom’s travel advice says to call 911 or 999 for an ambulance, and +1 664 491 7790 for the emergency services. It describes “a small hospital and four district health centres” and specifies that quality care is of limited availability. The hospital’s capacity (number of beds, fees for each procedure) was not read on the pages consulted.

Montserrat relies on referrals outside the island for tertiary care: according to the ministry’s report, patients who need advanced treatment are often referred to facilities in other Caribbean territories or to the British health service, through a quota system. The United Kingdom’s advice confirms that specialist care may require travelling to a neighbouring island and that medical evacuations are currently possible only in daylight. Access to the island is via Antigua or Sint Maarten, which reinforces the importance of holding a contract providing for evacuation and repatriation.

A French resident’s cover therefore rests on the CFE (the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger, the voluntary health insurance scheme for French expatriates), on private insurance or on the French scheme maintained for a seconded employee; see expat health insurance and repatriation and assistance. Before any planned treatment abroad, you should check with your insurer the cover and the prior approval procedure.

The Glendon Hospital pharmacy (+1 664 491 2552) is among the ministry’s secondary care services. The British advice cites two pharmacies, the hospital’s and one in Brades, warns that shortages may occur and recommends bringing all your prescriptions. Chronic treatment should therefore be planned in advance, with a stock covering the length of the stay. The list of available medicines and their prices were not read on the official pages consulted.

The British advice cites dengue and Zika, transmitted by mosquitoes, as health risks. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required of anyone arriving from a country at risk of transmission; the advice refers to the British TravelHealthPro platform for full recommendations and asks readers to check vaccines at least 8 weeks before departure. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) publishes no page for Montserrat: recommended vaccines should be requested from a doctor or an international vaccination centre. The volcano can also emit ash and gases, which mainly affect the north of the island depending on the wind (see the page living in Montserrat).

The population’s health profile is dominated by non-communicable diseases, which account for more than eight in ten deaths; cardiovascular diseases account for about 40%, cancer about 16% and diabetes about 14%, according to the Ministry of Health’s report. Diseases of the circulatory system account for about 13% of all admissions, behind those related to pregnancy and childbirth. During the cyclone season (1 June to 30 November), the disaster management agency recommends building up supplies in advance.