The Gili Air Medical Clinic is the main walk-in medical service on the island, handling tourist motorbike scrapes, ear infections, jellyfish stings, dehydration, gastro, and routine illnesses. Doctor consultation is 350,000 IDR. For serious cases, the clinic stabilizes and coordinates boat transfer to Mataram hospitals.
# Gili Air Medical Clinic: Your On-Island Medical Resource
Gili Air is small (2 km long, 1 km wide), there are no cars, the nearest hospital is a 25-minute boat ride and 45-minute drive away in Mataram, and tourists routinely get themselves into the kind of trouble that needs medical attention — coral cuts, ear infections from too much diving, jellyfish stings, scooter spills (well, bicycle spills), gastro from the wrong nasi campur, and the occasional dengue.
The Gili Air Medical Clinic exists for exactly this. It's not a hospital — for serious cases you'll be sent to Mataram — but for the routine tourist medical issues that don't justify the boat trip, the clinic is the right answer.
What they handle
Wound care (the most common reason tourists visit):
- Coral cuts and scrapes — cleaned, debrided if needed, antibiotic ointment applied. Coral cuts often get infected within 24–48 hours; come in early.
- Reef abrasions — same protocol. Wear reef boots if walking out to the snorkel sites.
- Jellyfish stings — vinegar or freshwater rinse depending on jellyfish type, hot water immersion for severe stings, antihistamine if reaction is significant.
- Sea urchin spines — removal where possible, soaking treatment for those left embedded (some absorb naturally over weeks).
- Bicycle and scooter scrapes — cleaning, suturing if needed, dressing.
Infections:
- Ear infections (extremely common after multiple-day diving) — antibiotic eardrops, oral antibiotics if severe.
- Skin infections (impetigo, fungal) — topical and oral treatment.
- Urinary tract infections — common in female travelers; treated with antibiotics.
Gastro and dehydration:
- Travelers' diarrhea — assessment, hydration recommendations, antibiotics if bacterial signs are present.
- Severe dehydration — IV fluid administration on-site (some cases).
Other:
- Suspected dengue — symptom assessment; lab testing requires Mataram.
- Allergic reactions — antihistamines, steroids if severe, epinephrine if anaphylactic.
- Migraine and severe headache — assessment, pain management.
What they don't handle
- Trauma needing X-ray or CT — no imaging on-site.
- Suspected fractures — splinting and transfer to Mataram.
- Serious cardiac symptoms — stabilization and emergency transfer.
- Surgery — none.
- Inpatient care — outpatient only.
- Decompression sickness — go to the dive medic at Gili Air's hyperbaric chamber (separate facility).
- Childbirth — basic emergency stabilization only; transfer required.
Costs
- Doctor consultation: 350,000 IDR.
- Wound cleaning and dressing: 200,000–500,000 IDR depending on severity.
- Suturing: 500,000–800,000 IDR.
- IV fluid bag: 350,000 IDR.
- Common antibiotics (1-week course): 150,000–400,000 IDR.
- Antihistamines, painkillers: 50,000–200,000 IDR.
- Eardrops, antifungal cream, eye drops: 80,000–250,000 IDR.
- After-hours callout (8pm–8am): additional 250,000–500,000 IDR.
Cash IDR or USD only. No card facilities. ATMs are 100m from the clinic.
Insurance
The clinic does not direct-bill international insurance. Pay in full at the time of treatment, get a properly itemized English-language receipt, and submit to your insurance for reimbursement after your trip. Receipts include diagnosis, treatment, medications, and total amount.
After-hours emergencies
For emergencies outside the 8am–8pm operating window, WhatsApp +62 813 3700 5544. The on-call doctor will respond and either provide phone advice, arrange callout to your accommodation, or coordinate emergency boat transfer to Mataram.
After-hours callout fee is 250,000–500,000 IDR on top of the consultation cost. Worth it for genuine emergencies; not worth it for things that can wait until morning.
Boat transfer to Mataram
For serious cases requiring hospital care, the clinic coordinates boat transfer:
- Routine transfer (daytime, calm weather): 25-minute boat to Bangsal harbor, 45-minute drive to Siloam or Harapan Keluarga. Total time: 90 minutes door to hospital.
- Emergency transfer (urgent, calm weather): charter speedboat from clinic dock to Bangsal in 15 minutes, ambulance from Bangsal to Mataram in 35 minutes. Total: 60 minutes.
- Night/rough weather: boat operations are limited at night and in heavy seas. The clinic will hold and stabilize until conditions allow safe transfer.
Typical evacuation costs: 1.5–4 million IDR for the boat charter and ambulance. Travel insurance covers this for medically necessary transfers.
What to bring
When visiting the clinic:
- Passport for registration.
- Travel insurance card and policy number.
- Any prescription medications you take regularly, in original packaging.
- Cash IDR or USD for payment.
- Allergy information (especially if you have penicillin or sulfa allergies).
Who should visit
Use the Gili Air clinic for any non-trivial medical issue during your stay on Gili Air, Gili Meno, or Gili Trawangan (the clinic services all three islands; Trawangan has its own walk-in option but Gili Air's is generally rated higher). For minor scrapes a hostel first-aid kit can handle, treat at home; for anything more involved, walk in. Going straight to Mataram for routine issues is overkill — the clinic handles 90% of tourist medical needs without the boat trip.