Hospitals in Bali

A Bali holiday injury might land you in hospital

People get hurt during their Bali holidays all the time. It is not uncommon to encounter tourists with their arms in slings, bandages around cracked heads, or burns on their legs. (The burns are often referred to as a Bali Tattoo. They come from motorbike exhaust pipes.) 

So what is the best course of action to take if you are slightly injured while holidaying in Bali? 

Private Hospitals

UK travel warnings for Indonesia state that tourists are not able to access Bali hospitals for free.  This is correct. Although there are a number of privately owned hospitals in Bali they are certainly not without charge. The services at these hospitals are in fact very expensive. So unless you have travel insurance (highly recommended), or you have a wallet bulging with unwanted cash, you may want to avoid the need to seek medical attention from these places. 

Sanglah Public Hospital

Another alternative if you are slightly injured is a visit to Sanglah Public Hospital located in Denpasar.

A friend who had a minor motorbike accident took this course of action. He didn't have insurance or a lot of money to throw away so he insisted I take him to Sanglah Public Hospital.

My friend had received a nasty gash on his head. I organised a towel for the blood and a taxi from Kuta and we were at the hospital in twenty minutes. An ambulance might have been faster but these are also expensive in Bali. It was also early evening and we received light traffic so this probably helped our speed.

When we arrived at Sanglah Public Hospital my friend was rushed into emergency and he received treatment instantly. His was head was x-rayed, his wound cleaned and he was bandaged. He was then offered a bed for the night so he could be put under observation.

I witnessed nothing but professionalism from all staff involved. And the expense for this treatment was far lower than any private hospital operating in Bali. Perhaps for more serious injuries a traveller may want to seek the services of a private hospital. But I personally could not fault the staff and facilities at Sanglah Public Hospital.

One thing I have to mention is my friend ended up with what looked to be a tampon stitched to his head. He also received instructions not to remove this dressing for at least a week. So Sanglah Public Hospital did provide its share of comedic value as well.

©Malcolm Scott