TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Hospital?

Okay, I have an odd question. First, some background...

Our last time to the BVI was 3 years ago. My husband sustained a major injury on day 2 that required his and my trip to end. He spent 3 days in Peebles Hospital before coming back to California. After seeing the condition of the hospital I am trying to find out if there are any other options in case (God forbid!) someone else needs major medical care.

Because of that I obviously know Peebles Hospital. I heard there is a private hospital on Tortola. Looking online it appears to be the Bougainvillea clinic. It is unclear whether they can handle major emergencies or just routine surgeries. Does anyone have any info?

And on a good note, my husband ended up making a full recovery and the same group is looking forward to our 15 night trip at the end of May. This time we are determined to stay the whole time!

Thanks,
Suzanne

The new Peebles Hospital is now open..must say a friend of ours had a burst appendix down here and made a full recovery at the old Peebles...with a two week plus stay and a bill of about $3,000! She cannot say enough good things about the treatment she got there..

With the introduction of the NHI national insurance, I'm hearing that the rates have skyrocketed. Buy med/evac insurance for peace of mind.

Think positive
You're in the islands unless you're in need of a head transplant things will work out.
What kind of accident did your husband have ?

It's not the cost I am concerned about. My husbands 3 day stay in the ER, with everything included (stay, procedures, drugs) came out to $1200. I was worried when he was going to have to pay before he was discharged, trying to figure out what the credit limit was on everyone's credit cards who were with us figuring 3 days in the ER would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Plus, our insurance company reimbursed us for most of the expense (after our deductible of course).

We do have evacuation insurance from Divers Alert Network (they provide insurance for non-diving evacuation in addition to their dive benefits). I was actually in communication with them during the time he was in the hospital and they were very helpful.

My concern is with the cleanliness of the hospital. The ER seemed okay, not great, but I've seen worse in the US. For better or worse he was kept in the ER the entire time, on a gurney (no real beds available) for the entire 3 days because there were no beds anywhere in the hospital. They kept a curtain around him and he had no call button or any way to summon a nurse for help other than yelling for them. They took him one day to the regular floor for a shower. The bathroom was grungy with the pipe coming directly out of a hole in the wall. He ended up picking up MRSA sometime around then. No guarantee it was at Peebles, but some things he saw made him wonder. I truly feel he was given the best care they had. It was just an unusual injury. The admitting dr was flying by the seat of his pants, admitted he had never seen it, and performed a procedure he had only done once in his career. It was a true learning experience for all the residents there.

Suzanne

I was a unintended resident of the hospital several years ago for 3 days as well and didn't notice that the cleanliness suffered - I was in the new wing however which I believe everyone goes to as they put some of the big machines MRI in the old wing. I don't usually spend any time on Tortola so perhaps some Tortola visitors could offer their opinions.

I was at Peebles for an evening a few years ago. Other than it brutally cold it was fine. Now the clinic at VG was another story, they were desperate for office supplies, she wrote my vitals on her hand as there was no paper.

The ambulance with no AC on VG was another experience.

Trivia, when on the ferry from VG to RT and you are in a stretcher you still need a ticket. Glad I had my wallet.

Sounds like most were visitors to the old Peebles. The new facility is top rate, under staffed, but nice physical facility.
During a conversation when we were there in February, a local resident was telling me about the changes. What had been a token $15 visit to a Doctor now runs $75-$100. Have to see the Dr every time now to renew a prescription (this particular one was insulin, which they had been using for 30+ years)with the associated office visit cost. And of course, the private insurance they had previously is no longer available. Sound familiar?

Unless there has been a change, Bougainvillea was the plastic surgery clinic. Sometimes people get sent to SRMC here on St Thomas by helicopter for services that are not available on Tortola.

Thanks everyone. It sounds like people's experiences at the new Peebles is fine. I'm sure nothing will go wrong this time, but I wanted to have all my info just in case.

Suzanne

Bougainvilla started out specializing in plastic surgery (tits by Tat) but now handles many things. My husband spent three nights there a few years ago when he fell on a dock and ended up with a large hematoma and infected leg. The building was under renovation, so things were somewhat disrupted, but he was happy with the staff and his care.

They have recently added an urgent care clinic which is open until 11 pm.

I have not visited the Peeples hospital yet, but intend to next trip (I am a surgeon).
From comments above, either delayed presentation by patients or prolonged hospitalization. Not unusual for less developed countries .

I travel with a first aid kit that allows me to manage most minor issues such as lacerations.

Other than being really cold, as mentioned, this is a top notch facility. for an emergency room visit, stitches, dressings and drugs, I think we paid 100 bucks.

I don't have any first hand knowledge about peoples except back in 2001 my wife got sick. i had heard bad things about peoples [ you need to bring your own sheets ,etc] and we were lucky that we had two couples on the boat with us ,,,both women were nurses in the states and one was a Pa and had brought a few paks of Z-paks.. saved my wife from missing the whole trip and from being miserable <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Woof.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Woof.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Woof.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Woof.gif" alt="" />

I live on Tortola year round now, retired from the NY area. Have extensive personal experience with both Peebles and Bougainvillea, but hesitate to post as I still am subject to both facilities. I will gladly answer any questions if you pm me.

A comment about the clinic on VG. A new much larger clinic is being built right next door to the old one. Figure 1-2 years before it is done.

We were medevac'd from Anegada to Tortola in 2010 and my wife spent the night at Peebles. My wife had a heart issue requiring immediate attention. Overall they did a good job however it should be noted that Peebles did not have some of the medicine that would have solved her problem that was readily available here in New Jersey. They wanted her to spend the night in the Women's Ward where I was not allowed to accompany her. My wife was understandably stressed and was uncomfortable being alone so we objected. After some discussion they agreed to keep her in the Surgical Ward and I was allowed to sleep on a chair next to her bed. The bill was $1,200 including the flight. What a difference from the USA where the same scenario would have likely cost significantly more. Luckily we have no knowledge of the current pricing structure!