Health in Grenada

The Ministry of Health leads public health services, while the Ministry of Mental Health, Wellness & Religious Affairs oversees mental-health services including Mt. Gay Psychiatric Hospital. Private and nonprofit providers supplement the public system. Health Centres, Medical Stations, District Medical Officers and community nurses provide much of the first contact for routine care, prevention and follow-up. For a non-urgent problem, a person will usually start at a Health Centre or Medical Station. Primary-care staff may provide treatment, screening, vaccination, maternal and child health services, oral health support, nutrition advice or chronic-disease follow-up. A District Medical Officer or primary-care clinic can assess the condition and refer the patient to a hospital or specialist when required. Formal referral and booking rules are not published in one central source, so the facility should confirm whether an appointment, referral letter or additional document is needed. Grenada has three public acute hospitals. General Hospital in St. George's is the main national referral hospital and the principal emergency facility. Princess Alice Hospital serves the St. Andrew and Grenville area, while Princess Royal Hospital serves Carriacou from Hillsborough. Petite Martinique depends mainly on access through Carriacou. Some diagnostic and operative services at Princess Alice Hospital may be limited, and complex cases can require transfer to General Hospital or treatment outside Grenada. Travel between islands and referral delays can affect the timing of care. For an emergency, call 911 for police or fire assistance. Hospital ambulance numbers are 434 for General Hospital, 724 for Princess Alice Hospital and 774 for Princess Royal Hospital. The published hospital telephone numbers are +1 (473) 440-2051 for General Hospital, +1 (473) 442-7251 for Princess Alice Hospital and +1 (473) 443-7400 for Princess Royal Hospital. If the situation is urgent, seek emergency help first and clarify payment or insurance arrangements in parallel. Preventive services include immunization, maternal and child health, school health, oral health, nutrition, vector control and screening or treatment for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. The HEARTS programme is being scaled up for cardiovascular-risk management. HPV vaccination and cervical-screening services are expanding, and cancer-registry capacity is being strengthened. The Grenada Food and Nutrition Council provides nutrition counselling at public clinics and home visits for children at nutritional risk and people with chronic non-communicable diseases. Skilled birth attendance reached 100% in 2022, while antenatal-care coverage was reported at 76% in 2020. Mental-health care includes inpatient and community services at Mt. Gay Psychiatric Hospital. Community Mental Health Nurses work in all health districts. Clinics generally operate monthly in each district and weekly in St. George's, with psychiatry, counselling, family therapy, child-centred therapy and social-work support available. Adults can seek help by telephone, in person, through a walk-in visit or by referral. People under 18 generally need a referral and parent consent or support from a trusted adult. Admissions usually proceed through Accident and Emergency. The published appointment wait is under one week, and sessions commonly last about 30 to 45 minutes. Current policy direction favours community-based care, mental-health training in primary care and psychosocial support in schools and workplaces. Medicines are regulated under the Pharmacy Act and the Medical Products (Regulations) Act. The Ministry pharmacy service and Central Medical Store support public medicine supply, while prescriptions may also be dispensed through hospital dispensaries or private pharmacies. A current nationwide formulary, stock list, retail-price schedule and shortage list was not confirmed, so availability, substitutions and prices should be checked with the dispensing facility. Ask for written medicine instructions and clarify whether a prescription must be filled at a particular pharmacy. After treatment, community nursing, district services and primary-care clinics provide follow-up. Chronic-disease management is increasingly based in primary care. Mental-health community nurses and clinics support continuing care outside hospital. Richmond Home for the Elderly provides a residential-care function, but current eligibility and capacity were not centrally confirmed. Grenada uses mixed public and private financing. Hospital, laboratory, X-ray and medicine charges have a legal basis, but current tariff schedules should be confirmed directly with the provider. Out-of-pocket spending represented 53.68% of total health expenditure in 2021. National Health Insurance, or NHI, was not evidenced as universal operational coverage: 2026 budget material described a coverage model, financing framework, legislation and stakeholder consultation as still advancing. Do not assume that treatment is free or that NHI automatically covers a service. Health Practitioners, Pharmacy, Medical Products, Mental Hospitals and Hospitals legislation provides the regulatory basis for professional practice, medicines and facilities. No single current patient-rights charter or consolidated complaint, consent and privacy guide was identified. Request an estimate where charges are unclear, keep referral and discharge documents, and ask who is responsible for follow-up. The three-hospital system also remains subject to management transition and stabilisation under the Grenada Hospitals Authority framework. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are major health priorities. In 2022, 59.9% of people aged 15 and over were reported as overweight or obese; diabetes prevalence was reported at 11.1% in 2014. These figures help explain the emphasis on screening, nutrition and long-term primary-care follow-up, but they do not determine an individual's diagnosis or treatment.