Lusaka - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
I am a former medical professional who worked at a trauma center in the US. I would say that lack of medical care is a big, big stressor for me, likely due to my professional experience and knowing what can go wrong. If you get in a car accident on the twisty mountain roads on your way to a safari, well...that's it. There's no ambulance coming to get you. There are okay hospitals in the city, but I would not feel comfortable with any sort of general anesthesia or procedure that could risk bleeding/needing a transfusion as they just don't have the facilities, resources, or back-up care to make this safe. If you have a serious medical condition that requires frequent follow-ups or ongoing therapies, this might not be the post for you. if you require medication for a condition, be sure to get a full years' supply before arriving. It's also VERY hard to not have any sort of care outside of business hours. If your kid has an ear infection on Christmas Eve, you're out of luck until Monday morning. Bring a large stock of kids' fever medicines, allergy meds, ice packs, and general first aid supplies. Strep throat here is like nothing I've ever seen before; our kids get it CONSTANTLY, and when it hits, you'll blow through your stock in a few days, and there's no CVS to run to for a quick restock. Also...bring the lice treatment (again, ask me how I know...). You don't want to wait a month for Amazon to deliver the lice shampoo when it suddenly breaks out in the classroom at school. We've been medevaced twice while living here. Once, for tonsils + repeated ear infections. We ended up in South Africa, and the care was subpar and dated compared to America (in my professional opinion), but...fine. Incidentally, while we were on that medevac, there was a cholera outbreak in Lusaka and the kids' school closed and went to virtual learning for a month. My kids basically didn't go to school because I wasn't there to oversee it, and the nannies weren't up to the technological challenges of Zoom classrooms. The second was for routine specialist follow-ups we couldn't do here in Lusaka, and for that they asked us to go to America for continuity of care. I found it very frustrating to have to take a month off of work, use an R&R ticket, pay for hotels and rental cars out of pocket, just to go see the ENT and GI and respiratory docs for the routine specialist check-ups my kids need. There are limited resources for ongoing therapies. One of my kids gets 30 minutes of physical therapy weekly at the school, but would likely benefit from more if it were available. There is an online occupational therapist who is lovely, but the utility is limited for wiggly kids. There is a single speech therapist here, but we did not find the quality to be worth the cost. There is a local center that offers psych counseling to adults and kids. In other words, there are resources here, but it's limited to just 1-2 people, and the quality varies. - Feb 2026
Cholera outbreaks are seasonal. Malaria risk outside of Lusaka so meds are recommended if you travel. Strep seems to be a constant issue for everyone at the embassy whether you have kids or not. - Apr 2025
Medical care is hit or miss. We have a dentist, eye doctor and orthodontist we really like, a fantastic chiropractor, and several massage therapists. For simple medical interventions, there is access to decent pharmacy clinics. Medevacs will happen for anything that might require surgery or long term support. Our employees medevac for OB/GYN. - Mar 2022
Medical care is not high quality. Serious health issues should be addressed in South Africa. There are no major health issues in Lusaka, although there is malaria in some areas of Zambia. - Dec 2021
We have medical evacuation for a lot of different things. Generally the med unit or local docs can diagnose and recommend medevac if the care can't be provided locally. Doctors here are good but limited in what they can do with their facilities. For example a hospital may have a CT scanner but not have the fluid required to run the scan. As for major health issues--we take precautions agains malaria, cholera, and other water-borne illnesses. - Feb 2018
Hospitals are pretty terrible. Anything mildly serious gets medically evacuated to South Africa. Mostly tummy issues when eating out or not cleaning your produce properly. - Nov 2017
You should always wash your food in DI water and some sort of solvent (we use vinegar, others bleach). Airborne issues are common, given the poor air quality during the dry season, as are stomach bugs. Malaria is a big concern outside Lusaka (and recently within it, though on a very limited basis). The Health Unit stocks prophylaxis and can advise on medical care. Urgent care facilities are very poor; most people are medevaced to SA for serious issues. - Jan 2017
Medical care is not so great. Lusaka was considered malaria-free for a while but not any more. It's rare, but you can get it. Stomach bugs are common, especially for those just arriving. - Jun 2016
The health care available in the country is consistently bad. Even at the expensive hospitals, patients are not satisfied that they are receiving correct diagnoses. Anything more than routine care requires a medical evacuation to Pretoria. That being said, the embassy has an excellent health unit that helps staff and their families navigate the system. - May 2016
Local medical care is not up to western standards. - Mar 2015
Quality of medical care is low. - Aug 2014
Medical care is not good. We are sent to South Africa for anything serious. - Jan 2014
No particular health concerns, other than malaria outside of Lusaka, esp. during and right after the rainy season. The sun is very strong, so adequate protection is extremely important, especially for fair-skinned people. Some areas have tse-tse flies, whose bite is tremendously painful; avoid exiting your car when in a tse-tse fly area (you will see them on your car, moving vehicles attract them), and don't wear the color blue, as it seems to attract them. Most areas do not have tse-tse flies, they tend to congregate in belts and sections, but I am not sure under what conditions---I think elevation has something to do with it. Local medical care is not up to standard for serious medical conditions or accidents. - Apr 2013
Malaria and HIV are common. Good health care for basic stuff - surgery is sending you to South Africa. - Jul 2010
All medical care is through South Africa; the facilities here have terrible reputations of misdiagnosis and treatment. - Mar 2009
Medical care here is poor. Have all checkups done in South Africa. - Mar 2009
CFB is the best provider and they are mediocre at best. Most people fly to South Africa. - Oct 2008
Malaria isn't as bad here as it was in Ghana, but HIV/AIDs rate is very high, so don't fool around without thinking. There is good medical care here though, if you can pay for private care, and you can always fly over to Jo'burg for specialty care. most common prescriptions are available (except some psychotherapeutics) and there are lots of generics - although some are crap. - Aug 2008
Outside of the rainy season, most expats don't worry too much about malaria in Lusaka. At the same time, it makes sense even in Lusaka to sleep inside malaria nets. There are a few American doctors in private practice in Lusaka (lots more are involved in aid work), but most people go to South Africa for anything other than routine check-ups. - May 2008
