As with the rest of Laos, you shouldn’t expect excellent medical care in Luang Prabang. Still, we want to mention regarding health problems the cultural center it’s one of the better destinations in the country. Over the last few years medical care has significantly improved and in most cases, you’ll get treated professionally. The problem is that there are still very few medical facilities and even the better ones lack equipment. Therefore if it gets serious you’ll most likely end up being transferred by air to Thailand. Since that’s not cheap you should have travel insurance. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
What health issues can be treated in Luang Prabang?
Although the health situation in Laos is far from optimal and even the standards in Luang Prabang aren’t very high, the treatment options should suffice in most cases. You can treat the majority of common diseases and also wounds. Even small operations shouldn’t be a problem. Furthermore, you can get medical certificates and vaccines. Especially with health insurance you usually won’t have to worry. Just ask a tuk-tuk for the nearest hospital and you’ll be fine.
What are the best hospitals in Luang Prabang?
If you’re asking yourself what’s the best hospital in Luang Prabang you won’t have to think much, since there aren’t many options. Besides the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital, we only know about Phakan’s Clinic. There are also a few doctors, but if you want to see one you better just ask a local who knows some English.
Here is where you can find the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital
Here is where you can find Phakan’s Clinic
What should I do if I get hurt or sick?
It’s never great to get sick or hurt while you’re on vacation, but unfortunately, it might happen. If it does don’t panic because in most cases you can just go to a pharmacy and get the right medicine. For us whenever it was necessary it solved the problem. If it doesn’t you can still go to a hospital and if even that doesn’t help you should probably just go to Thailand. There you’ll get the care you need.
How expensive is medical care in Luang Prabang?
Unless you want something specific you’ll be surprised how cheap medicine from the pharmacies is. Therefore you won’t have to spend much to treat a cold or something similar. Even for other minor or even moderate diseases, the cost usually isn’t very high. Nonetheless, it’s better to have health insurance, because if it gets serious alone the transport costs won’t be cheap. Not to mention the costs of the hospital in Thailand. The medical situation in Thailand is significantly better than in Laos and comparable to high-income countries.
Healthcare in Luang Prabang is likely to get better in the future
For now even in Luang Prabang in terms of healthcare, you can’t expect too much. Therefore it’s important to not take any unnecessary risks. Luckily it’s likely that the situation will improve in the future. After all, Luang Prabang is part of the World Heritage and the government knows it’s worth investing in it. Hopefully, in the next years, there’ll be more clinics, doctors, hospitals and of course also better equipment.