Health in Nauru

The national health system is led by the Department of Health & Medical Services and the Naoero Public Health Department. The main hospital is in Denigomodu and reports 65 beds, an Acute Critical Care Unit, paediatric and intensive-care services, dialysis, surgery, maternity and neonatal care, dental and eye care, psychiatry, mental-health support, physiotherapy, laboratory services, CT, X-ray, ultrasound and telemedicine. The NMC also provides general medicine, outpatient appointments and prescription dispensing. Routine appointments can be requested through Facebook Booking, WhatsApp, telephone at +674 55 70 119 or email, subject to current service arrangements. Ambulance assistance is available on 113, and the emergency department operates 24 hours a day. Emergency treatment includes triage, stabilisation, resuscitation, trauma care, wound treatment and other urgent procedures. When Nauru cannot provide clinically necessary treatment, the Overseas Medical Referral (OMR) service coordinates approved referrals to accredited facilities overseas, including pathways involving Fiji, India, Thailand and Brisbane. OMR may arrange pre-travel preparation, communication with the receiving facility, travel or escort support and follow-up after return, but eligibility, waiting times and reimbursement details must be confirmed with the NMC or the Department. Nauruan citizens use NauruCare for covered services, and essential prescriptions are free; elective procedures and treatments may require a subsidised contribution. Foreign nationals employed by the Government of Naoero are covered under the stated public arrangements, while other non-citizen fees and access rules are not fully published. The NauruCare Card has been planned, but its live availability is not confirmed. Patients have rights to respectful and non-discriminatory care, privacy, understandable information about diagnosis, treatment, risks and alternatives, informed consent or refusal subject to emergency and legal exceptions, access to records and test results, and complaints without retaliation. They should provide accurate medical, medication and allergy information, follow agreed care plans, attend appointments and follow safety and infection-control rules. Medicine availability can change because Nauru depends heavily on imports and has experienced shortages; a 2025 agreement involving HLL Lifecare and Janaushadhi was intended to support about 2,000 essential medicines and 300 surgical items. The main long-term health burden is non-communicable disease, especially obesity, diabetes and hypertension, alongside endemic tuberculosis and leprosy and periodic typhoid or diarrhoeal illness. WHO STEPS 2025 reported that among adults aged 18 to 69, 89.8% were overweight, 72.0% had obesity, 34.8% had hypertension and 29.3% had diabetes; only 3.1% of people with diabetes had it controlled. Public-health services therefore include immunisation, maternal and child care, family planning, cancer screening, sexually transmitted infection screening, chronic-disease checks, nutrition advice and physical-activity promotion.