Nadi, Suva, Denarau and the outer islands
Medical Repatriation from Fiji to Australia
Fiji is a short flight from Brisbane and Sydney, and Fiji's hospitals handle emergencies and general care well. What they can't always offer is complex intensive care, heart procedures or major trauma surgery. When a patient needs those, the decision to move them is usually made quickly.
Send patient details
A few details is enough. A coordinator calls you back to go through the rest.
What situations do Australians face in Fiji?
Many of the Australians we help in Fiji are on holiday at a resort on Denarau, the Coral Coast or the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands, or have come ashore from a cruise ship. Getting them from the island to a hospital on Viti Levu is often the first step.
Resort and water sport injuries
Falls, boating and jet ski accidents, and reef cuts that become infected in the heat. Outer-island guests first need a boat, seaplane or helicopter to the main island.
Diving incidents
Decompression illness needs oxygen, careful flight planning with a low cabin altitude, and sometimes recompression treatment in Australia.
Heart attacks and strokes in older travellers
Patients are stabilised in Fiji, but those who need a heart procedure or stroke unit care are usually moved to Australia.
Tropical infections
Dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid and severe skin infections that progress faster than people expect.
How do hospitals in Fiji handle discharge for a transfer?
Patients on Viti Levu are usually at Lautoka Hospital near Nadi, the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Suva Private Hospital, or a private clinic in Nadi. Medical records in the public hospitals can be brief or handwritten, so our doctor often speaks with the treating doctor directly to get the full picture.
Fijian hospitals and clinics usually ask for payment or an insurer's guarantee of payment before releasing a foreign patient. Once that is in place and the doctors agree the patient can fly, discharge is generally straightforward. From Suva, we can fly from Nausori Airport rather than drive three to four hours to Nadi.
Commercial stretcher or dedicated jet: which is right?
Seated with a medical escort
Direct flights from Nadi reach Brisbane and Sydney in about four hours, short enough for many patients to travel seated with a nurse escort.
Commercial airline stretcher
Stretcher places are offered on some Fiji flights with notice and the airline's medical approval, and they are limited. Book early if this is the plan.
Dedicated air ambulance jet
A Learjet or Hawker 800 reaches the east coast nonstop in about three and a half to four hours. It is the usual choice for patients who need intensive care.
The short distance means a dedicated air ambulance costs less from Fiji than from most of Asia, which can change the decision.
How stretcher repatriation compares in costWhat documents are needed?
We need the passport, a medical report from the treating doctor, and the insurance policy details. If the patient was first seen by a resort nurse or a ship's doctor, those notes are worth having as well.
Cruise passengers should check that their passport and luggage have come ashore before the ship sails. A family member flying with the patient needs their own passport and a flexible return booking.
Which routes do we fly from Fiji?
All routes we flyFlight details for the two main routes home from Fiji:
FAQ
Repatriation from Fiji: common questions
Last reviewed 9 November 2026. Read alongside official travel advice: Travel advice: Fiji (Smartraveller, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade); Travel insurance (Smartraveller, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade); IATA Medical Manual (International Air Transport Association).
International medical repatriation guide