Health in Brunei

Primary care usually begins at the responsible Health Centre or Health Clinic in your catchment area. Services include disease prevention, early detection, health advice, wound care, injections prescribed by a doctor, and urine, pregnancy, blood glucose and ECG examinations. Specialist treatment, hospital admission and specialised follow-up care are arranged through the local referral pathway, depending on the findings. Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong each have their own health centres and clinics. Public hospitals include RIPAS Hospital, the largest tertiary referral hospital; Suri Seri Begawan Hospital for higher-level care in Belait; PMMPMHAMB Hospital in Tutong; and Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam Hospital in Temburong. Serious cases from Temburong are transferred to RIPAS by land or boat. Private clinics, dental clinics and specialist centres are non-public alternatives. Registration with the patient registration system (Bru-HIMS) requires an Identity Card or another permitted form of identification. The digital health platform (BruHealth) provides digital health functions and supports the National Health Screening Programme. Opening hours vary by facility. For example, SSB Hospital offers outpatient consultations Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays from 07:45 to 12:15 and from 13:30 to 16:30, while Sungai Liang has additional hours on Fridays, Sundays and public holidays. Current hours should be checked before visiting. The national health screening programme (National Health Screening Programme) is available to Brunei citizens and people with permanent resident status. It includes cardiovascular screening from age 40, colorectal cancer screening from ages 50 to 75, breast cancer screening from ages 40 to 69, and cervical and HPV screening from ages 25 to 65. Access begins with a risk assessment in BruHealth or a walk-in form, followed by review by a nurse and appointment scheduling. The health centre serving your catchment area is recommended; anyone without a Bru-HIMS number must register first. Childhood vaccinations are provided through Child Health Clinics and the School Health Service. Four Vaccination Centres also vaccinate people aged five and over. Travel Consultations and vaccinations for Umrah and Hajj are available. Typhoid vaccinations for Food Handlers are renewed every three years; influenza vaccination is offered annually, while hepatitis B, pneumococcal and MMR vaccinations are offered when medically indicated. Pregnancy and postnatal care includes counselling, risk assessment, ultrasound, nutritional supplements and, when needed, vaccinations. High-risk pregnancies may be referred for nutritional counselling, social work or obstetric care. After birth, follow-up checks, a home visit where appropriate and a six-week examination follow. Children from birth to five years are usually checked every two to three months during the first year and then every six months. For acute symptoms, the route depends on urgency and may lead from a Health Centre to the Emergency Department or Specialist Clinic. The emergency service (EMAS) number is 991. The Emergency Department at RIPAS is open around the clock, as is emergency care at SSB Hospital. Health Advice is available at 148. For mental health difficulties, Psychiatry and outpatient services at RIPAS, Nurse-led Counselling, Community Psychiatry with home visits, Community Outreach and the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre are available. The support line (Talian Harapan) can be reached at 145. Outpatient psychiatric appointments generally require prior booking; walk-ins are available only to already registered patients. Medicines are available through hospital or community pharmacies. Pharmacy AutoRefill, Easy Collect and delivery can make repeat prescriptions easier to manage. The Department of Pharmaceutical Services and the medicines control authority (Brunei Darussalam Medicines Control Authority) regulate registration, importation, wholesaling and quality. There is a channel for reporting adverse effects. Traditional Medicines and Health Supplements do not receive pre-licensing or Pre-Market Authorization from the BDMCA; companies are responsible for safety and quality, so particular caution is appropriate with these products. After treatment, specialist appointments, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, podiatry, Allied Health, Community Psychiatry or home visits may follow. Bru-HIMS can provide reminders for appointments and referrals. Informed consent is required before an examination, diagnostic procedure or treatment. Confidentiality applies, subject to legal exceptions for reporting certain matters. Complaints about registered healthcare professionals are handled by the Boards Management Office, which can review standards and registration but cannot order a preferred treatment, compensation, a refund or release of medical records. Since 1 July 2025, fee status depends on the identity-card and personal category. Yellow Identity Card (Yellow IC) and Purple Identity Card for stateless persons (Purple IC) holders are generally exempt from public fees; Purple IC holders with foreign nationality, Green Identity Card (Green IC) holders and other groups may have to pay. The factsheet gives examples of 1, 3 or 5 dollars for registration and 15 dollars for a general outpatient consultation during working hours and 25 dollars outside those hours; additional examination and treatment costs and later tariff changes are possible. Current fees, opening hours and appointment rules are published on the respective Ministry of Health pages. According to the Ministry of Health, emergency care must not be refused because of the fee question.