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EMS Coverage Map: Jamaica

Jamaica: Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services

AT-A-GLANCE

DIAL 110 TO CALL AN AMBULANCE IN JAMAICA

  • But be ready to call fire departments directly by using their station telephone or call private ambulance providers (listed in “Other Numbers” section below and in map)
  • Jamaica has emergency medical services available, but they are patchwork and of varying quality
  • Responsibilities for emergency medical response fall between fire department and St. John’s ambulance (for prehospital emergency care) and private EMS providers (for paid inter-facility transfers and house calls)
  • Jamaica has a large number of trained lifeguards, though enforcement of regulations to ensure lifeguard supervision at public and private swimming locations is limited

HOW CAN I CALL AN AMBULANCE IN JAMAICA?

DIAL 110 TO CALL AN AMBULANCE IN JAMAICA

As reported by the Jamaican Fire Brigade, the official national emergency number for the fire department is 110. However, the fire department also makes clear on their website that each fire station and ambulance service also has a unique, individual number. (See sections below: “CAN I CALL FROM HELP ANYWHERE?” and “WHAT OTHER EMERGENCY NUMBERS CAN I CALL?”)

The number 110 can be accessed from any phone and will connect you to the fire department’s main dispatch in Kingston. Once the dispatcher has ascertained your location, they will relay your call to the nearest fire station and/or ambulance station.

According to the Jamaican Fire Brigade’s website, each fire, police and ambulance station has their own phone numbers.

Fire Department
Kingston & St. Andrew1York Park922-2121-2
2Half Way Tree926-8165-6
3Stony Hill942-3053/3055
4Trench Town923-5970-4155
5Rollington Town928-1063
6Port Royal967-8054-5
7Fire Boat922-7018
St. Thomas8Morant Bay982-2268-9
9Yallahs982-5600/5608
St. Ann10St. Ann’s Bay972-2322
11Ocho Rios974-2317
12Brown’s Town975-2316
St. Mary13Port Maria994-2285
14Annotto Bay996-2216
Portland15Port Antonio993-2525
16Buff Bay996-1501
Trelawny17Falmouth954-3230
St. Catherine18Spanish Town984-2251
19Old Harbour983-2276
20Portmore988-2357
21Linstead985-2333
Clarendon22May Pen986-2192
23Frankfield904-4532
Manchester24Mandeville962-2588
25Christiana964-2444
St. Jamaes26Barnett Street952-2311
27Ironshore953-3952
St. Elizabeth28Black River965-2222
29Santa Cruz966-2302
30Junction965-8622
Westmoreland31Sav-La-Mar955-2666/2540
32Negril957-4242
Hanover33Lucea956-2220/2187
Emergency Medical Service E.M.S.
Sav-la-Mar955-3331
Negril957-3776
Ironshore953-9826
Lucea956-3835
St. John’s Ambulance
Kingston926-7656
Ocho Rios994-1126
Port Antonio715-1999
Sav-la-Mar955-4004

In addition to the fire department numbers listed in the previous section, several private ambulance providers can also be contacted which are typically used for inter-facility transfers between hospitals:

GROUND AMBULANCE IN JAMAICA
  • Accident & Emergency Services Ltd: 876-758-8286; [email protected]
    • Kingston, St. Andrew, parts of St. Catharine, St. Thomas
    • Cross-Island transfers possible
  • AmbuCare Ambulance Service:
    • Kingston: 876-978-2327
    • Bridgeport: 876-939-2273
    • Ironshore: 876-953-2938
  • EGAS Ambulance Services:
    • Kingston: 876-974-2607
    • (Website last updated 2011)
  • GentleCare Ambulance Service:
    • Kingston: 876-622-0184
  • LifeLine Medical Services:
    • Ocho Rios: 876-404-7913 / 876-974-8950
  • Medical Associates Hospital:
    • Kingston: 876-926-1400
  • SureTime EMS:
    • Kingston: 876-906-7873(SURE)
    • Ask for Dr. MacDonald; has ambulance; does house calls

EDITOR’S NOTE: It is unclear whether the Jamaican Red Cross is actively involved in prehospital emergency care; their locations have been included in our EMS coverage map for reference.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister and “has the unique role of being the only government agency to provide disaster management functions in Jamaica.

The Ministry of Health oversees health-related communications and coordination during disasters through the division of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services:

The Branch systematically: 1) analyses and manages health risks, posed by emergencies and disasters, 2) develop, implement and monitor medical and health emergency and disaster management programmes at the central, regional and parish levels of the health services, 3) establishes and operationalises the MOH National Emergency Operations Centre within four (4) hours of the need, including the mobilisation of staff and other resources and 4) develops, monitors and supports the implementation of public information and education programmes for the health aspects of emergency and disaster management.”

PREHOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE PROVIDERS

LIFEGUARDS

  • According to the ILSF, over 3,000 lifeguards have been trained in Jamaica since 1996 with examinations for new trainees scheduled through 2017, though enforcement of regulations to ensure lifeguard supervision at public and private swimming locations is limited

Transport by Ground Ambulance in Jamaica
Inter-facility transfers are most often arranged through private ambulance providers at the request of physicians at the referring facility

  • From a study on neonatal transfers (Salome, 2017): “The minimum time between acceptance of the patient and the patient leaving the referring hospital was 1h and the maximum 6h; mean6SD time: 2.94 6 1.8 h. The most common reason for delay in transport was that of awaiting an available ambulance, reported in 8 of 10 cases for whom information was available.”
  • “With limited staff in resource-limited settings, the decision as to which member of the staff accompanies the neonate is not based on level of expertise required but rather on who can be released with minimum amount of disruption to the functioning of the ward, usually junior staff.”

Transport by Air Ambulance in Jamaica
Transport via helicopter can be arranged through the Jamaica Defence Force.

See map at top of page for list of public and private healthcare facilities in Jamaica.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Common Emergencies in Jamaica
  • Road Traffic Injuries
  • Inter-Personal Violence
  • Hurricanes
  • Drownings
  • Zika Virus is also a risk in Jamaica: 
    Alert – Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions

    Read the CDC’s Zika Travel Notice for Jamaica
Recommended Vaccinations for Jamaica

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), different groups of travelers will require different vaccinations for travel in Jamaica:

  • All Travelers
    • Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine
    • Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine
    • Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
    • Polio vaccine
    • Your yearly flu shot
  • Most Travelers
    • Hepatitis A
    • Typhoid
  • Some Travelers
    • Hepatitis B
    • Rabies
    • Yellow Fever – “There is no risk of yellow fever in Jamaica. The government of Jamaica requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. This does not include the US.” See full list here.

Read more about travel in Jamaica at the CDC website:  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/jamaica/ (Last accessed: Aug. 7, 2017)

 Henry S et al: “Challenges in neonatal transport in Jamaica: A resource-limited setting.” J Trop Pediatr 2017 fmw095. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmw095

SCOREBOARD

% of Seriously Injured Transported by Ambulance in the USA, 2013

< 10%

[Source: 2013 Global Status Report on Road Safety, WHO]

ROAD TRAFFIC INJURY DEATHS, 2015
(PER 100,000 POPULATION)

[Source: 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety, WHO]

REPORTED HOMICIDES, 2012
(PER 100,000 POPULATION)

[Source: 2014 Global Status Report on Violence Prevention, WHO-UNDP]

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