Quote Originally Posted by RoyinNC View Post
We have been visiting Jamaica since the late 80's and have no current plans to stop vacationing there. We have seen many changes over that time, both good and bad (like any other growing vacation destination). But one area that people keep asking me about is the situation regarding medical care, particularly serious injury or illness if you are in Negril. While I would not avoid Sav La Mar for minor things, it would not really suffice in a serious or emergency situation. For a long time I kept the phone number of MoBay Hope Medical (at the Half Moon Shop area in MoBay) because from talking to many I had come to believe it might be the best option. Now, I have been told that it is no longer in operation. With stories of people at resorts facing huge bills for minor things when a doctor is summoned to their resort for treatment I don't know what the best options are anymore. These questions are becoming more important for me, and others among the aging travel population. Negril would do well to meet this need sooner rather than later because I already know many people who don't travel to Jamaica on vacation anymore for fear of the poor options of medical care in the event of an emergency or serious illness.
Does anyone know if MoBay Hope is actually gone? Their reviews were getting really bad anyway.

Does anyone know the status of the private hospital project that seems to have stalled? http://negrilbeachbungalows.com/ For some reason this is the website for the project.

What are the best options available from Negril now, and what is the best way to get to them if you have an emergency?

Thanks for any help on this!
Roy,

The comments have been interesting. I will try to answer your questions as well as address some of the other comments. Living here daily for over two decades gives a person a different perspective than that of visitors, no matter how long they visit.

First, Hope Medical moved. It is now called the Hospiten Hospital. It is a little further past the old location, but the private hospital is a new facility. Contact numbers are on their website. The link is below.

http://www.hospiten.com/en/hospitals...en-montego-bay

As we get older, which we all are, healthcare begins to become an important item to consider. There is no free healthcare for visitors, which is the same pretty much worldwide. All healthcare from doctor visits, ambulances, emergency room, air evacuation, etc costs money. So one of the best ways to eliminate this money worry is to simply buy travel insurance. All you pay is the deductible. In addition to the medical coverage, there are other benefits such as missed flights that make this a no-brainer for those who worry about this issue. So if medical issues are of a major concern, be sure to get travel insurance!

For minor issues, a visit to any of the local clinics will suffice. Every hotel has the phone number of at least one local doctor that they use for this purpose. Also, several of the local hotels have their defibrillation units on site and someone trained to use it. If you are concerned or have heart issues, be sure to stay at a property that has one.

There is the public ambulance as well as several private ambulances that service Negril. But for most residents, it has become habitual to hail the closest taxi instead of calling and waiting for an ambulance. Chances are a taxi is nearby or already on the scene.

The ambulance or taxi can take you to the nearest hospital in Sav, either the publc hospital or the private Royal Medical. Both of these facilities are not really recommended for long term bed care, but they will be able to get you stabilized and ready for transport to the nearest doctor recommended facility, be it in Montego Bay, Mandeville, Kingston or even medi-evac off the island.

Negril, having a population of about 7000 residents cannot support a full care hospital at this time. During busy season, when more visitors than residents are in Negril, it would be a great thing to have available. But during slow season, a full care hospital in Negril would not be cost effective. This is just a reality when a small village becomes a major tourist destination with little to no planning in the early growth years.

A hospital in Negril will be a reality in the future, and a growth in medical tourism can help to bring that about quicker. Negril is also growing so that may take us out of the "village" status and allow Negril to become a legal municipality. As of today, still being a village, Negril has no mayor or city council, and relies on Savanna La Mar for its governing body. All decisions such as roads, sidewalks and even hospitals all come from Sav and Kingston.