Hospitals in Bali: emergency care, evacuation and insurance that actually pays

In Bali, the question at the emergency desk isn't "what's wrong?" but "who's paying?", so sort the answer out before you ever need it.

The short version

• Australia has no reciprocal health care agreement with Indonesia. You pay for all treatment, including hospital stays and evacuation [1].
• Hospitals usually want proof of insurance, a deposit and a written payment guarantee before they treat you. Without insurance that can mean thousands of dollars upfront [1].
• The private hospitals most foreigners use are clustered around Kuta, Sunset Road, Nusa Dua and Denpasar. Serious and critical cases are usually transferred to the big public hospital in Denpasar [2].
• Standards, including critical care, are generally lower than in Australia, so serious cases often end in evacuation to Singapore or home [1].
• Live in Bali? A travel policy is rarely enough. You want expat health cover with evacuation, and BPJS if you're eligible.

What's different from home

At home, you turn up at a public emergency department with a Medicare card, and nobody asks for a credit card. Bali works the other way round.

Smartraveller is blunt about it. Medical standards in Indonesia, including Bali, are generally lower than in Australia, many regional hospitals have only basic facilities, and you must pay for everything yourself [1]. The Australian Government won't pay for your treatment or your evacuation, and it can't guarantee you a hospital bed [1].

The Consulate-General in Renon can give you a list of local doctors and help in a crisis, but it can't guarantee payment to a hospital [2][3]. Some hospitals will only accept an insurer's guarantee letter if that insurer has an office in Bali [2]. That one detail trips up plenty of people with cheap policies.

Medicare doesn't follow you overseas either. If you've moved to Bali for good, read up on what happens to your Medicare enrolment in our living-abroad guide linked below.

The main hospitals and clinics

The Consulate-General keeps a list of hospitals, clinics and evacuation providers in Bali. DFAT notes it takes no responsibility for their quality [2]. Here are the main ones from that list, with what we know about each.

Notice the geography. If you live in Ubud, Pererenan or out on the Bukit, the big hospitals are a drive away, and Bali traffic doesn't care that you're bleeding. Work out your nearest decent emergency department and the route at night, now.

Emergency numbers

• Ambulance and rescue: 118. Medical emergencies: 119 [1].
• Police: 110 or 112 [1].
• Tourist Police, Bali: (0361) 759 687 [1].
• Australian Consulate-General Bali: +62 361 2000 100. Out of hours, press 4, then 6, for the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra, or call +61 2 6261 3305 directly [3].

Plenty of residents skip the ambulance and get a driver or friend to take them straight to their chosen private hospital. Whatever you do, know the name of the hospital you want, because a driver may otherwise take you to the closest one.

Paying upfront: deposits and guarantees

This is where most of the stress happens. Before admission, a hospital may want any of these [1]:

• proof of insurance
• a cash or card deposit
• a written guarantee from a family member or friend that the bill will be paid.

Your insurer's job is to send a guarantee of payment straight to the hospital. That only works if you call the insurer's assistance line early and the hospital accepts that insurer [2].

What to do in a medical emergency

1. Get to the right place. Call 118 or 119, or get driven to the hospital you picked in advance [1].
2. Call your insurer's 24-hour assistance line as soon as someone can. Give them the hospital name and your policy number.
3. Ask the hospital what it needs before treatment: deposit amount, guarantee letter, passport.
4. Pay with a card if you have to, and keep every receipt and report for the claim.
5. Tell the Consulate if things are serious, if you're stuck, or if family in Australia need to be contacted [3].
6. Ask early about evacuation if the care you need isn't available locally. Your insurer usually decides and arranges it.

Medical evacuation: Singapore or home

For a bad head injury, a serious motorbike crash, complex surgery or intensive care, many patients are moved off the island. The usual destinations are Singapore or Australia, by air ambulance or on a commercial flight with a medical escort.

The Consulate list includes evacuation providers based in Bali and Australia, including BIMC, International SOS and Careflight [2]. An air ambulance is one of the most expensive things that can happen to you overseas, which is why Smartraveller says your insurance must cover all medical costs overseas, including evacuation [1].

Check three things in your policy wording:

• Evacuation is covered, and to where. Some policies only pay to the "nearest appropriate facility", which may be Jakarta or Singapore, not Perth.
• Repatriation to Australia is covered once you're stable, if that's what you'd want.
• The insurer, not you, decides on evacuation. Know their criteria before you need them.

Insurance that pays: travel, expat cover and BPJS

Here's the trap. Travel insurance is built for trips. If you live in Bali, many travel policies won't cover you, or cap the length of a single trip, or need you to be "normally resident" in Australia. Read the residency clause, not just the price.

Smartraveller also flags activity exclusions: check that your policy covers what you'll actually do, such as diving [1]. For scooter riders, the licence question matters a lot. We cover it in our Bali scooter guide.

BPJS for KITAS holders

Indonesia's national health insurance, BPJS Kesehatan, is open to foreigners in some cases. Foreign employees who have worked in Indonesia for more than six months must be enrolled, and the employer handles registration with the work permit and KITAS [4]. Local reports from Bali's BPJS offices describe foreign members as needing at least six months' residence and an official stay permit, with the details tied to work or investment status [5].

Premiums are low by Australian standards, but BPJS runs on a referral system through clinics and network hospitals [4], and it's built for local treatment. Most Australians who join keep private expat cover with evacuation on top. If you're on a remote-worker or retirement visa, ask your local BPJS office or visa agent whether you qualify, because the rules for non-employees aren't consistent across sources.

Get set up in your first month

1. Pick your hospital and save the address and phone number in your phone and your partner's.
2. Save the emergency numbers: 118, 119, the Consulate and your insurer [1][3].
3. Buy cover that matches your life in Bali, with evacuation, and confirm it can guarantee payment at your chosen hospital [2].
4. Subscribe to Smartraveller updates for Indonesia so you hear about outbreaks, disasters and alerts as they happen.
5. Carry your insurance card and a copy of your passport.
6. Write down your medical history and medications. Smartraveller notes ADHD medicines and cannabis-based products are illegal in Indonesia, even with a prescription [1].

Want to know where other Australians went when the kid fell off the bike? Join Cooee Indonesia, our Facebook group for Australians in Indonesia, and ask which emergency department was quickest last month.

Sources

1. Indonesia travel advice – Smartraveller
2. Medical facilities in Bali – Australian Consulate-General Bali
3. Services for Australians – Australian Consulate-General Bali
4. BPJS in Indonesia: what employers and foreign workers need to know – Cekindo (April 2026)
5. Expats in Bali can access Indonesian social security healthcare – The Bali Sun (July 2025)

Keep reading

• Dengue, rabies and Bali belly: staying healthy on the island
• Moving to Bali from Australia: the complete guide
• Medicare when you live abroad
• Private health insurance when you move overseas