Health and Medical in Bali

Part of the Bali travel guide — see every topic in All Bali Guides.

Bali is a healthy destination for most visitors and the medical infrastructure in the south is genuinely good. It is also expensive: the international-standard private hospitals charge Western rates, they generally require payment or a confirmed insurance guarantee before treating, and a serious case means an evacuation flight to Singapore or Australia. Comprehensive travel insurance that explicitly covers motorcycling and any adventure activity you plan is therefore not optional here, it is the whole safety net.

Before you go

Standard advice is to be up to date on routine vaccinations plus hepatitis A and typhoid; hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies pre-exposure vaccination are recommended for longer or more rural stays. Malaria is not generally a risk on Bali itself but is present elsewhere in Indonesia, including parts of Papua and Flores, so check if you are travelling on. Take medical advice specific to your itinerary. Bring any prescription medication in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription, since Indonesian customs rules on some medicines are strict.

Dengue and rabies

Dengue is present year-round and peaks in the wet season; the mosquito that carries it bites during the day, so repellent is a daytime habit rather than an evening one. There is no specific treatment and a second infection with a different serotype is more dangerous than the first — a high fever with severe body aches needs a blood test, not paracetamol and hope. Rabies is endemic in Bali's dog population and present in monkeys and bats. Any bite, scratch or lick on broken skin needs immediate washing and urgent medical assessment; post-exposure treatment works, and rabies once symptomatic does not.

Stomach upsets and everyday problems

"Bali belly" is usually bacterial and usually self-limiting. Prevent it with bottled or filtered water including for teeth, food from places with high turnover, and caution around lukewarm buffets and unrefrigerated raw sambal. Treat it with rehydration salts, rest and time; see a doctor for blood, high fever or symptoms beyond forty-eight hours. Other routine problems: coral cuts, which infect fast and need proper cleaning and antiseptic the same day; sunburn; and ear infections from repeated diving or surfing, which are common enough that pharmacies stock the drops.

Where to go and what it costs

BIMC in Kuta and Nusa Dua and Siloam in Denpasar are the international-standard private hospitals, with English-speaking staff, and are the default for anything serious; Sanglah, the public referral hospital in Denpasar, has the island's hyperbaric chamber. Expect to pay upfront or produce an insurance guarantee. Pharmacies (apotek) are everywhere, inexpensive, and dispense many things over the counter that require a prescription elsewhere. Emergency numbers are 112 general and 118 for an ambulance, though calling a hospital's own ambulance line is usually faster.

Health and Medical at a glance

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