Medical Emergency Resources for Expats in San Cristóbal de las Casas

Before an Emergency

Keep this page saved on your phone. Knowing who to call and where to go saves critical time.

Key things to know:

• 911 works everywhere in Mexico and connects to police, fire and ambulance dispatch
• Hospital de las Culturas is San Cristóbal's main hospital. It is a public hospital, part of the IMSS-Bienestar network that now runs public hospitals in Chiapas, and its emergency room is open 24 hours
• For heart attacks, strokes, major trauma or intensive care, patients are usually stabilized in San Cristóbal and transferred to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, about 1 to 1¼ hours away on the toll highway (190D)
• If you can safely get there yourself, going straight to the emergency room is often faster than waiting for an ambulance. The colonial centre's narrow streets can slow ambulances down.
• Emergency rooms must stabilize you, but private hospitals will usually ask for a deposit, a credit card or an insurance guarantee before admitting you. Carry a card and your policy number.
• If you have no Mexican social security, public IMSS-Bienestar hospitals such as Hospital de las Culturas will still treat you in an emergency. Little English is spoken there.

Emergency Numbers

• 911 — police, fire, ambulance (Cruz Roja ambulances are also dispatched through 911)
• Hospital de las Culturas (24-hour emergency): Blvd. Javier López Moreno, Barrio de Fátima
• Fire and police: call 911

Useful phrases: "Necesito una ambulancia" (I need an ambulance), "Emergencia médica" (medical emergency).

Hospitals & Clinics

In San Cristóbal

• Hospital de las Culturas — Blvd. Javier López Moreno, Barrio de Fátima. The main public hospital (IMSS-Bienestar), with a 24-hour emergency room and general and specialist care. Free or low-cost for people without social security. Little English. Complex cases are referred to Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
• Hospital de la Mujer — public hospital with emergency care for women and obstetrics. Call ahead to confirm its emergency hours.
• HOSCEM (Hospital y Centro Médico San Cristóbal) — Periférico Sur 6, El Santuario. Private hospital. Call ahead to confirm it has emergency cover at the hour you need it.
• IMSS members (people with Mexican social security through work) use the IMSS clinics and hospitals.

Tuxtla Gutiérrez (about 1 to 1¼ hours on the toll highway)

• Hospital Chiapas Nos Une "Dr. Jesús Gilberto Gómez Maza" — Libramiento Norte. Large public specialty hospital.
• Hospital Regional Dr. Rafael Pascacio Gamboa — large public hospital.
• Hospital General de Especialidades No. 13 (IMSS) — new IMSS high-specialty hospital, opened in November 2025. For IMSS members.
• Hospital de Especialidades Pediátricas — for children only. Do not take an adult here.

English-Speaking Doctors

San Cristóbal has few English-speaking doctors, and they change often as people move. Ask for current recommendations:

• Recent residents in the local expat Facebook groups (search "doctor" or "médico")
• Your landlord, your hotel or your Spanish school

Many doctors speak some English but not always enough for a complex conversation. Bring someone who speaks Spanish if you can.

Medical Translation

• Local expat groups can often find a volunteer or a paid translator to come with you to an appointment; ask a day or two ahead when you can
• Download Google Translate's Spanish pack for offline use BEFORE you need it. The camera mode reads forms and medicine labels.
• Useful phrases: "Soy alérgico/a a…" (I'm allergic to…), "Tomo medicamento para…" (I take medicine for…), "Me duele aquí" (It hurts here), "No hablo bien español" (I don't speak Spanish well)

In a true emergency, hospital staff will find a way to communicate. Point to where it hurts, use your phone's translator, and don't let language stop you from getting care.

In-Home Care

Nursing care at home is available but limited. Pharmacies can often refer a nurse for wound care, injections or recovery help; this is common practice in Mexico. Ask for current rates when you book, and ask about the nurse's training and experience.

Air Evacuation

The nearest airport for medical flights is Tuxtla Gutiérrez's Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport (TGZ), which lies beyond Tuxtla, about 1¼ to 1½ hours from San Cristóbal by road.

• SkyMed and MedjetAssist are the evacuation memberships most used by expats in Mexico. Check that your plan covers Chiapas and read the exclusions.
• Many travel insurance policies include evacuation, but read the fine print: it often needs pre-authorization and may only cover the nearest adequate facility.
• Embassies can help coordinate in an emergency, but they don't pay for medical care or evacuation.

Prevention

• Register with your embassy: US citizens use STEP (mytravel.state.gov/s/step), Canadians use ROCA
• Carry a wallet card in Spanish with your blood type, allergies, medications, emergency contacts and insurance details
• Save this guide on your phone for offline access
• Confirm your health insurance covers Mexico and how claims work before you need care
• Keep a 30-day supply of your prescription medicines; some brands are hard to find locally