Home › Guides › Healthcare

Healthcare

Healthcare in Mauritius for Expats: Public, Private and Cover

By Rory Phillips · Updated October 2026

Healthcare in Mauritius for expats is split between public hospitals, where the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says foreign nationals can be treated but are expected to pay, and private hospitals, which it describes as better equipped and favoured by foreign nationals. We found no Mauritian government source saying public care is free for non-citizens, so do not plan on it. The Premium Visa asks for sufficient health insurance for the initial period of stay, the ambulance number is 114, and the FCDO says more complex cases may need evacuation to Réunion or South Africa.

The official pages we read say little directly to foreign residents about healthcare. Most of what follows comes from the FCDO’s travel advice, the residence permit rules and one UK travel-health service, with the source named at each point. We recommend no insurer, hospital or clinic group, and where a price is not published we say so rather than guess.

Public hospitals and private care: what a foreigner pays

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’s annual report for 2023-24 describes the public network as five regional hospitals and two district hospitals, backed by six specialised hospitals for psychiatric, chest, eye, ENT, cardiac and cancer care. Emergency care comes from the SAMU emergency medical service and the Accident & Emergency departments, and specialised services run by appointment across more than 23 specialties. Licensing of private health institutions sits in the same minister’s portfolio.

On who pays, the FCDO’s guide for British nationals living in Mauritius says foreign nationals can attend a local public hospital but would be expected to pay for treatment. It calls public hospitals of a reasonable standard but seldom equipped for serious illness or incidents, and says private hospitals have better equipment and facilities and are favoured by foreign nationals.

What we could not find matters as much. No Mauritian government source we found confirms free public care for non-citizens, sets out what a non-citizen is charged, or says whether a residence permit changes what you pay. The FCDO’s list of English-speaking medical providers says treatment at three public hospitals is free for locals but that foreigners are expected to pay a minimal fee, and it gives no amount. The FCDO’s two pages also word cost differently, one saying healthcare is available at a reasonable price and the other that good private healthcare can be expensive, and neither gives a figure. Ask the hospital what a non-citizen is charged before any treatment that can wait.

Health insurance, and which permits ask for it

Mauritius has no reciprocal health agreement with the UK. The FCDO advises arranging insurance before you arrive and checking that it covers local treatment and unexpected medical evacuation, and it warns that UK travel insurers will not generally cover healthcare costs if you live overseas. It writes for British nationals, so if you hold another passport, ask your own insurer or health scheme what it accepts.

The permit rules say less than the travel advice does. Here is what each official page says about health cover.

None of these pages sets a minimum level of cover. Our visa checker shows which route fits your plans.

Ask four things in writing: Before paying for a policy, ask the insurer to confirm whether it covers a resident rather than a visitor, whether it pays for evacuation to Réunion or South Africa, how it treats conditions you already have, and whether it settles with the hospital directly or reimburses you afterwards.

The medical for a permit application

The Occupation Permit guidelines make a set of medical tests compulsory for all non-citizens. A registered medical practitioner in Mauritius examines the applicant and issues the certificate, so some of the tests have to happen on the island.

Two further tests are conditional. Lymphatic filariasis is required only of non-citizens coming from 16 named countries, among them India, Madagascar, Kenya and Mozambique. The UK and South Africa are not on that list. The leprosy test applies to Indian nationals only.

Results must be no more than six months old when the application goes in. Children under 12 need a certificate after a clinical examination, with a chest X-ray and blood test only if the doctor requires them. The guidelines also say an application will not be recommended where there is evidence of an infectious, contagious or communicable disease.

Timing is the unclear part. The notes to the medical annex say the certificate and the three Mauritian reports go in at the time of application. Another note says the non-citizen must travel to Mauritius after the Approval in Principle to complete the medical there, and that approval email is valid for 90 days for new applications. The Retired non-citizen page likewise lists the medical certificate among the documents to upload after Approval in Principle. Ask the Occupation Permit Unit which order applies to your category before you book flights. No price for the tests is published.

Emergency numbers and getting to a hospital

The Government of Mauritius portal carries these numbers on its Hotline tab. The list is undated and other sites quote different numbers, so we have used the government’s own.

The Ministry’s annual report also puts the SAMU control room on 114 and says it handles about 1,300 calls a day. The FCDO says private and state ambulances both operate but that quality and response speed vary, and its living guide adds that they can be unreliable. Its advice is to go straight to the hospital if you can. It also notes that stonefish stings are rare but can be fatal, so get urgent medical attention after one.

Bringing prescription medicines

The FCDO says you can bring common medicines for your own use as long as you carry a copy of the prescription. Tranquillisers, hypnotics, narcotics and other strong painkillers need prior authorisation, which you can check with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness or, in the UK, the Mauritius High Commission. The Mauritius Revenue Authority sets a limit: no more than three months’ supply of a prescription medicine, or one month’s of a controlled drug, in the original containers with a legible prescription. The FCDO’s living guide warns that some medicines, including major brands sold in the UK, may not be available in Mauritius or may not be allowed in, so ask your GP about alternatives before you travel.

When you need treatment Mauritius cannot give

The FCDO says a number of procedures are not available in Mauritius and that in some serious cases you may have to be medically evacuated. Its health page adds that more complex cases may require evacuation to Réunion or South Africa, and tells travellers to hold adequate health insurance and accessible funds to cover treatment abroad and repatriation. No Mauritian source we read says what an evacuation costs, so ask your insurer exactly what its policy covers. If you are referred to a facility, contact your insurer quickly, as the FCDO advises.

Dengue, chikungunya and malaria

This section rests on TravelHealthPro, the service run by the UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre. It is a secondary source, so each statement names it.

TravelHealthPro’s update of 24 July 2026 reports 6,675 confirmed chikungunya cases in 2026 as of 12 July, 6,583 on Mauritius and 92 on Rodrigues. It adds that the Mauritian health ministry reported a significant increase on 2 April 2026 and that the US CDC issued a Travel Alert on 14 May 2026. Figures like these date quickly, so check the latest before you travel.

On vaccines, TravelHealthPro says dengue vaccination can be considered for people aged 4 and over who have had dengue before and are travelling to risk areas. It says chikungunya vaccination may be considered for people aged 12 and over heading to outbreak regions, or travelling long term or often to higher-risk regions. The decision rests with a health professional after a risk assessment, so book an appointment with a doctor or travel clinic before you leave.

Health rules at the border

TravelHealthPro says there is no yellow fever risk in Mauritius, but a vaccination certificate is required from travellers aged 1 year or over arriving from countries the Mauritian government considers at risk (an August 2025 update). The government’s health advice page lists countries in Africa and the Americas (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia among them) but not the UK or South Africa. That page is undated, still carries older notices and does not say how transit passengers are treated, so check with your airline if your route passes through a listed country.

Government Notice 107 of 2026, the Quarantine (Health Declaration Form) Regulations 2026, says anyone entering Mauritius by ship or aircraft must fill in the health declaration form at the point of embarkation, to prevent Ebola Virus Disease spreading into the country. The regulations came into operation on 9 June 2026. Refusing to fill in the form, or knowingly giving false information in it, is an offence with a fine of up to Rs 500,000 and up to 5 years in prison. The regulations as published have no end date and we have not checked whether airlines still ask for the form, so confirm with yours.

The FCDO’s entry page also records Ebola-related entry restrictions tied to recent travel from the countries it lists, including a 21-day quarantine for some arrivals, and says border officials may ask for a blood sample from travellers arriving from a country where malaria is common. Read its current wording before you book, and see our guide to Mauritius visa requirements for the entry rules themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Sources, checked 28 October 2026

The Mauritian government and FCDO pages come first and are official. TravelHealthPro is a secondary source and is named in the text wherever we rely on it. Where we found no published figure or rule, the guide says so.

• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Living in Mauritius, the health page, the entry requirements and the list of English-speaking doctors and medical facilities: what foreigners pay, insurance, ambulances, medicines, evacuation, health screening and Ebola-related restrictions.
• Government of Mauritius: the portal home page for the Hotline tab and the health advice page: emergency numbers, and the yellow fever certificate and country list.
• Annual Report on Performance 2023-24 (Ministry of Health and Wellness): the public hospital network, emergency services, SAMU and licensing of private institutions.
• Mauritius Premium Visa and its checklist (Government of Mauritius, residency site): the health insurance condition.
• Retired non-citizen, 50 years and over (Government of Mauritius, residency site): the medical certificate among the documents after Approval in Principle.
• Occupation Permit guidelines (Government of Mauritius, residency site): the medical certificate, the compulsory tests, the six-month rule and the Approval in Principle steps.
• Quarantine (Health Declaration Form) Regulations 2026 (Government Notice 107 of 2026, Government Printing Department): the health declaration form and the penalty.
• Import restrictions (Mauritius Revenue Authority): the supply limits, containers and prescription for medicines carried on arrival, and the Government Pharmacist’s approval for controlled drugs.
• TravelHealthPro: Mauritius (National Travel Health Network and Centre): malaria, dengue, chikungunya, schistosomiasis, vaccines, the yellow fever certificate and the 2026 chikungunya figures. A secondary source.

General information only, not medical, insurance, immigration or legal advice. Hospital arrangements, entry rules and outbreak figures change, so check the official pages above and speak to a doctor or travel health clinic before you act.