HEALTH PRECAUTIONS

Health Care Before you Travel............
Goa is essentially a healthy place to live in, with bright sunshine and sea breezes, to clear the collywobbles away. It would be a good idea though to guard against any serious diseases with a proper set of vaccinations.

Since some vaccinations require more than one injection and some others cannot be injected with others, it is advisable to plan your vaccinations in consultation with your doctor well in advance of your trip. These can be then recorded on an International Health Certificate which is to be carried along with you. Entry into India requires yellow fever vaccinations especially when coming from an infected area.

Other suggested vaccinations include the following:

Hepatitis A
Diphtheria & Tetanus
Meningoeoccal Meningitis
Typhoid
Hepatitis B
Polio
Rabies
Japanese B Encephalitis
Tuberculosis
Malaria

Also make sure that you have adequate health insurance before you embark on your trip.

Health Care in Goa

There are pharmacies in all the towns in Goa as also along the beach belt. These are always well-stocked selling drugs manufactured in India under licence from foreign companies.

Medications can usually be bought over the counter. Most good hotels also have a doctor on call to take care of most complaints and prescribe medicines. The staff at your hotel is also usually the best source for the name of the nearest recommended doctor. There are also government and private hospitals in most major tourist areas as also a number of private doctors with clinics.
The main, well equipped hospitals are in the cities of Panaji, Mapusa, Margao and Vasco-da-Gama. There are also a number of ambulance services run by private, government and charitable institutions available on call. However if you are unfortunate to have been involved in an accident, the quickest way to get to hospital is by taxi or private car.