What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in La Paz?
Police
110
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: digitalnomadexchange.com, pacificprime.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- There is no single 911-style number for all emergencies in La Paz — police, fire, and ambulance each have their own number, so it's worth saving all of them before you arrive.
- Public ambulance response is often slow or unreliable; for a serious medical emergency in La Paz, many residents and official travel advisories suggest going directly to a hospital by taxi rather than waiting for a public ambulance.
- Response times for police (110) can be lengthy, so for minor issues like theft it's often just as effective to go directly to a police station to file a report (a 'denuncia'), which you'll need for any insurance claim.
- English-language support from emergency operators is limited; the Tourist Police hotline is the most likely place to reach an English speaker, but general police/fire/ambulance lines are Spanish-only.
- Bolivia's hospital system doesn't use the US-style 'Level I–IV trauma center' rating. Instead hospitals are graded 'Primer/Segundo/Tercer Nivel' (first/second/third level) by complexity — Hospital de Clínicas and Hospital Obrero N°1 are both 'Tercer Nivel,' the highest tier, and are the more realistic destinations for serious trauma.
- Public hospitals like Hospital de Clínicas and Hospital Obrero N°1 have free or low-cost emergency intake but can have long wait times and resource strain; private/NGO hospitals like Arco Iris are faster for less severe issues but usually require upfront payment or proof of ability to pay before non-life-threatening treatment.
- La Paz sits at roughly 3,600m+ altitude, so cardiac and respiratory emergencies can present and progress differently than at sea level — mention this to any treating clinician if you have a pre-existing condition.
Emergency Numbers
Fire
- Number
- 119
- Source Note
- Confirmed by UK and Canadian government travel advisories.
Police
- Number
- 110
- Source Note
- Confirmed by multiple official government travel-advisory sources.
Ambulance
- General Bolivia Number
- 118
- La Paz Specific Number
- 165
- Reliability Note
- Public ambulance services in Bolivia are widely reported as unreliable; several official sources recommend going straight to a hospital by taxi or using a private ambulance service instead of waiting for a public dispatch.
Tourist Police
- English Speaking Hotline
- 800-14-0081
- Note
- Different official sources (Australian and US government travel advisories vs. Canadian government listing) give slightly different La Paz tourist police contact numbers; both are included since we could not fully reconcile which is current.
La Paz Office Alt Numbers Reported
- +591-2-222-5016
- +591-6-822-6652
Official Safety Apps
- Found
- No
- Detail
- No dedicated, currently active official Bolivian government emergency/safety mobile app for tourists or residents was identified in available sources. Visitors are generally directed to save the phone numbers above rather than use an app.
Universal Emergency Number
- Detail
- Bolivia does not use a single nationwide 911 or 112 system the way many other countries do. Separate numbers exist for police, fire and ambulance.
- Exists
- No
Domestic Gender Based Violence Hotline
- Number
- 800-14-0348
- Note
- Operated by the Bolivian Police for reporting gender-based violence.
Hospitals
Hospital De Clínicas Universitario (Hospital De Clínicas)
- Phone
- Emergency line: 2-229180; general: 2-246275 / 2-244884 / 2-245059
- Type
- Public, university-affiliated general hospital
- Hours
- Emergency department open 24 hours
- Address
- Avenida Saavedra #2245, Zona Miraflores, La Paz
- Trauma Level Designation
- Classified as a 'Tercer Nivel' (Third Level) facility under Bolivia's health system — the highest complexity tier, roughly comparable to a major trauma/tertiary referral hospital rather than a US-style Level I–IV designation, which Bolivia does not use.
- Notes
- This is the country's largest public teaching hospital and functions as a main referral center for complex trauma and emergency cases in La Paz.
Hospital Obrero N°1 (Caja Nacional De Salud)
- Phone
- Not confirmed in available sources at the time of research — confirm via hospital or Caja Nacional de Salud directory
- Type
- Public social-security (Caja Nacional de Salud) general hospital
- Hours
- Emergency department open 24 hours
- Address
- Avenida Brasil #1745, entre las calles Lucas Jaimes y José Gutiérrez, Zona Miraflores, La Paz
- Trauma Level Designation
- Classified as a 'Tercer Nivel' (Third Level) facility — the highest complexity tier in Bolivia's system.
- Notes
- Historically the largest hospital of Bolivia's Social Security system, with full medical-surgical specialties. Primarily serves CNS-insured patients, but public/emergency patients are generally still received in acute situations.
Hospital Arco Iris
- Phone
- Not confirmed in available sources at the time of research
- Type
- Private / NGO-run general hospital
- Hours
- Emergency department: 24 hours. Outpatient consultations: Monday–Friday 8:00–18:00, Saturday 9:00–12:00
- Address
- Not confirmed via available sources at the time of research — verify current street address directly with the hospital before relying on it
- Trauma Level Designation
- Officially accredited as a 'Segundo Nivel' (Second Level) hospital by La Paz's departmental health authority (SEDES) — an intermediate complexity tier, below the tertiary public hospitals for the most severe trauma cases.
- Notes
- A commonly used private option for non-critical emergencies; for major trauma, the tertiary public hospitals (Hospital de Clínicas, Hospital Obrero N°1) have higher-level capacity.
Healthcare
- Overview
- La Paz hosts both public and private healthcare facilities. La Paz is home to some of the best medical specialists in Bolivia.
- Emergency Services
- Dial 118 for ambulance; 911 for general emergency services
- Altitude Consideration
- La Paz at 3,640+ meters elevation; altitude sickness affects some arrivals; may present challenges for those with pre-existing cardiovascular or respiratory conditions
Public System
- Quality
- lower standard than private healthcare
- Access For Foreigners
- Foreign residents can access public healthcare but must pay for services
- Description
- Public healthcare available but varies in quality; expats typically use private healthcare for reliability and higher standards.
Private Healthcare
- Doctor Consultation Cost
- BOB 70
- Specialist Consultation Cost
- BOB 415
- Private Health Insurance Monthly
- BOB 3,465
- Private Health Insurance Monthly Max
- BOB 13,860
- Description
- More reliable and higher quality than public system, favored by expats
Major Private Clinics In La Paz
- Clínica del Sur
- Clínica La Paz
- CEMES
- Clínico Sirani
- Hospital Quirúrgico Boliviano Belga
Pharmacies
- Local Name
- Farmacias
- Availability
- Pharmacies widely available throughout La Paz, easily identifiable by green cross symbol
- Operating Hours
- Many operate 24 hours on a rotation system; at least one pharmacy in major areas remains open 24/7
- Language Support
- English-speaking pharmacists available at some locations; Spanish language generally required
- Medication Costs
- Generic medications affordable; brand-name and imported medicines more expensive and availability may vary
- Prescription Services
- Available; some pharmacies offer health consultations alongside prescriptions
- Antibiotic Restrictions
- Antibiotics not legally available over-the-counter; require prescription from licensed healthcare professional
- Over The Counter Medications
- Most common medications available without prescription
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About La Paz
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.