Healthcare in Angola

Hi Julien,

You probably didn't get a response as most expats won't know how the health system works because they don't use it.

There is a SOS medical setup for the expat community with most medical conditions being treated out of country.

There are no recommended dental facilities in country. Again it is a fly out to seek treatment situation.

Definitely have a medical insurance policy that will cover you for medical treatment in other countries and medivacs when required. However most companies will supply that as a part of the employment conditions. If it is not - then have the company provide cover.

GG

GG

Hi Julien

The public hospitals is a No No since there are always 100s of people at once who needs medical care and the qualifications of the local doctors(Angolans) are net good at all. There are allot of private clinics available that can perform everyday medical issues like flu, malaria, tummy bugs and so on, they can certainly operate for most serious medical problems, but there is a risk of care during or after the procedure not being very good.

Many people don’t have the time to fly out of the country and who actually made it and some were serious operations like appendicitis and others. But there is unfortunately a higher risk as opposed to better developed countries.

But most expats know where to go already and make use of the clinics suggested to them by their employers. Many larger companies like the oil companies have their own clinics on-site who can deal with nearly any medical problem really and if not they will stabilize the person and fly him/her out for better treatment elsewhere

But for everyday ordinary problems(non high risk) you should be OK to consult with your expat doctor who will be able to assist without any problem.

On another note, the medicines in most pharmacies are of excellent quality and imported from Europe as far as I know and I used these many times during my 4 years in Angola and it was always of the highest quality medicines.
Thanks
Le Roy

Hi,

In order to help expats and soon-to-be expats, we would like to invite you to share your experience on this topic, with updated info on the healthcare system.

Thank you in advance,

Julie
Expat.com Team

Hi!

We have come a long way here from 2010. I am an essentially English speaking person and especially during illnesses, I am not comfortable expressing my concerns or symptoms in Portuguese. Yet, healthcare here is still in a nascent stage. We have some excellent hospitals like girassol, with the best doctors and equipments but still the language problems persist. Apart from that, Girassol clinic is mighty expensive. There are some clinics also, but mostly the English speaking docs are general physicians (GPs). They are not specialists in their fields. I had a lot of probs with pediatricians and finally, I am sticking on with a GP who speaks fluent English apart from being a great doctor.