What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Placencia?
Emergency number
911
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: belizetourismboard.org, bz.usembassy.gov
Good to know
Good to Know
- 911 works best when calling from a local Belizean SIM/number; if using a foreign phone number, it's safer to have the Placencia police station's direct line (523-3018) saved as a backup.
- Placencia has a Tourist Police Unit that works with the Belize Tourism Board specifically to assist visitors, in addition to the regular Placencia police station.
- For serious medical emergencies, expect that Placencia's local clinics can stabilize but that air ambulance transfer (via BERT) to Belize City or abroad is common for anything severe, given the peninsula's distance from major hospitals.
- U.S. and Canadian travelers should consider enrolling in STEP or ROCA before arrival — these are the closest thing to an 'official safety app/alert system' available, since no standalone Belize government emergency app was found.
- During hurricane season, follow NEMO guidance early — Placencia is a low-lying peninsula and evacuation notices for the Cayes and coastal areas are taken seriously by locals.
- There is no full-service hospital physically on the Placencia peninsula — the Placencia Polyclinic (opened 2024) covers triage, stabilization, and minor emergencies, but anything serious still means a transfer to Dangriga (about 1 hour) or Belize City (about 3 hours by road, faster by domestic flight).
- Dial 911 for ambulance service in Placencia; response times vary by time of day and severity, and getting off the peninsula sometimes involves a lagoon crossing rather than a direct road route.
- Comprehensive travel/health insurance with medical evacuation coverage is strongly advised — a medevac flight out of the area can run into the tens of thousands of dollars if you don't have coverage.
- For anything beyond routine care, most residents and long-term visitors plan on traveling to Belize City (Belize Medical Associates or Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital) rather than relying on local Placencia facilities.
Hospitals
Placencia Polyclinic
- Type
- public
- Hours
- Advertised as open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Address
- Placencia Village, adjacent to the Placencia Airstrip, Placencia, Stann Creek District, Belize
- Trauma Level Designation
- None — Belize does not use a formal trauma-level classification system (e.g. Level I–IV). The facility has a dedicated trauma bay and a separate ambulance/emergency entrance, plus an X-ray room, but it is officially a 'polyclinic,' not a full hospital.
- Notes
- Opened in May 2024 as a joint project of the Belize Tourism Board and Ministry of Health and Wellness after years of the peninsula having no on-site emergency facility.
Placencia Medical Services (Dr. Alexis Caballero)
- Type
- private
- Hours
- 24 hours — emergency and house-call service
- Address
- Placencia Village, Placencia, Belize
- Trauma Level Designation
- None — this is a small private doctor's clinic offering general/urgent care and house calls, not a trauma-equipped hospital.
- Notes
- Long-standing single-doctor private practice on the peninsula; useful for urgent but non-trauma issues.
Southern Regional Hospital (Formerly Dangriga Hospital)
- Type
- public
- Hours
- Public regional hospital — emergency services operate around the clock
- Address
- Hummingbird Highway, Dangriga, Stann Creek District, Belize
- Trauma Level Designation
- No formal trauma-level designation; it functions as the main public referral hospital for the Stann Creek and Toledo districts.
- Notes
- Located roughly 1 hour by car from Placencia (longer if the vehicle ferry/lagoon crossing isn't used); it's the nearest facility with actual inpatient hospital beds.
Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH)
- Type
- public
- Hours
- 24-hour emergency department
- Address
- Belize City, Belize
- Trauma Level Designation
- No official ACS-style trauma-center level exists in Belize, but KHMH is the country's national referral hospital and de facto top trauma-care center.
- Notes
- Roughly 3 hours by road from Placencia, or a short domestic flight; used for serious trauma, major surgery, or specialist care beyond what Stann Creek facilities can handle.
Belize Medical Associates (BMA)
- Type
- private
- Hours
- 24-hour emergency room
- Address
- 5791 St. Thomas Street, Kings Park, Belize City, Belize
- Trauma Level Designation
- No formal trauma-level designation, but widely regarded as the leading private hospital in the country for emergency and surgical care.
- Notes
- Roughly 3 hours by road from Placencia, or under an hour combining a domestic flight with a short taxi ride; commonly the preferred option for expats needing serious private emergency care.
Public
- Cost
- Free or minimal for Belizean citizens and visa holders; foreigners typically pay out-of-pocket
- Hours
- 24/7
- Status
- Fully operational
- Facility Name
- Placencia Polyclinic
- Note
- Recently inaugurated; still receiving additional equipment. X-ray room present but radiologist services being developed.
- Description
- Public polyclinic opened in May 2024, offering 24-hour general medical care, emergency services, triage, pharmacy, laboratory, and consultation rooms. Situated near Placencia Airstrip.
Services
- General consultation
- Emergency care
- pharmacy
- laboratory
- triage
- Trauma care
Regional Options
Nearest Alternatives
Southern Regional Hospital
- Type
- public
- Distance
- ~1 hour by car
- Location
- Dangriga
Independence Polyclinic
- Type
- public
- Distance
- Across lagoon from Placencia
- Location
- Independence Village
Belize Medical Associates (BMA)
- Type
- Private premium
- Distance
- ~3 hours by car
- Location
- Belize City
Emergency Numbers
- Caveat Calling 911
- 911 in Belize is generally only reliable when dialing from a local Belizean phone number/SIM; travelers using a foreign mobile number should save the direct police station or hotel/resort front-desk number as a backup.
Police
- National Number
- 911
- Placencia Local Station
- 523-3018
- Notes
- Placencia has its own police station on Placencia Road; a Tourist Police Unit (TPU) also operates in Placencia, working with the Belize Tourism Board on visitor-related incidents.
Fire Service
- National Number
- 911 (or 90)
- Notes
- Fire calls placed through 911 are routed to the Belize National Fire Service; Placencia does not have its own large fire department listing distinct from the national dispatch number in available directories.
Ambulance Medical
- National Number
- 911 (or 90)
- Air Ambulance
- Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT) provides air ambulance services nationally, including from remote/coastal areas like Placencia, and is typically reached via 911 dispatch or hospital referral.
- Notes
- For serious trauma, medevac to Belize City or the U.S. is common since Placencia's local medical facilities are limited to clinics rather than full trauma hospitals.
Official Safety Apps
- Dedicated Belize App Found
- No
- Notes
- No dedicated official Belize government emergency/safety mobile app was identified in the sources we checked. The closest official tools are: (1) the U.S. State Department's STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) for U.S. citizens, which sends embassy alerts and helps the embassy contact you in an emergency, and (2) Canada's ROCA (Registration of Canadians Abroad) for the same purpose. These are enrollment/alert services rather than in-country 911 apps.
Alternate Universal Number
- Number
- 90
- Details
- A secondary nationwide number that can also reach ambulance, fire, and police services, used as a backup to 911 in some areas.
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 911
- Details
- 911 is Belize's national emergency switchboard, answered by the Belize Police Department, which transfers non-police calls (medical, fire) to the relevant service.
National Disaster Management
- Number
- 936
- Organization
- National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
- Notes
- NEMO coordinates hurricane and disaster response nationally; Placencia, being a low-lying peninsula, has designated evacuation routes and shelters during hurricane watches/warnings.
Crime Stoppers Anonymous Tips
- Number
- 0-800-922-TIPS (8477)
- Notes
- Toll-free anonymous tip line; calls terminate in the U.S. to protect caller anonymity, run with charitable funding and reward incentives.
Private
- Location
- Placencia Village
- Availability
- 24-hour emergency and house call services
- Primary Provider
- Placencia Medical Services (Dr. Alexis Caballero)
- Consultation Cost
- BZD 150
- Note
- General practitioner offering on-call and in-clinic services. House calls available.
Health Insurance
Not mandatory; most expats carry personal insurance from home country or regional expat-focused policies. Local private health insurers available: Atlantic Insurance, Belize Health Care Partners, Belize Medical Insurance.
Pharmacies
- Phone
- +501-523-4045
- Location
- Placencia Road, across from Top Value Supermarket
- Hours Sat
- 8 AM - 5 PM
- Hours Sun
- Closed
- Pharmacist
- Nina Wallen
- Accessibility
- Centrally located in Placencia Village, within walking distance of main tourist areas
- Hours Mon Fri
- 8 AM - 6 PM
- Primary Provider
- Placencia Pharmacy
Services
- Prescription filling (NHI and private)
- Over-the-counter medications
- General pharmacy services
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.
- 1.belizetourismboard.org
- 2.bz.usembassy.gov
- 3.greaterbelize.com
- 4.pressoffice.gov.bz
- 5.realliferecess.com
- 6.expatexchange.com
- 7.internationalliving.com
- 8.realliferecess.com
- 9.bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com
- 10.oceanbreezebeachresort.com
- 11.astra-trust.com
- 12.nomadcapitalist.com
- 13.petitfute.co.uk
- 14.belizerealestatesearch.com
- 15.enterslice.com
- 16.globalbanks.com
- 17.flagtheory.com
- 18.placencia.com
- 19.cahalpech.com
- 20.xe.com
- 21.wise.com
More About Placencia
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.