Latest warning cautions of increased risks to violent crime and a lack of quality health care

Durrant Pate/Contributor

The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisory for the island, urging its citizens to reconsider plans to visit the island due to crime and medical services.

The island nation, with its pristine beaches and natural beauty, is a favorite for tourists, particularly Americans. The latest warning, issued Thursday (July 25), cautions American travelers in particular that some areas of Jamaica have increased risks related to violent crime and a lack of quality health care.

The State Department issued an initial advisory in January, explaining that this latest advisory was made to reflect additional troubles since then.

“The U.S. Embassy routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including from U.S. citizen tourists at resorts,” the State Department said, adding, “U.S. citizens report slow or unsatisfactory responses to serious criminal incidents. When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a final verdict and sentence.”

Admission that tourist areas are safer than other parts of the island

The advisory notes, “homicide rate reported by the Jamaican government is among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Armed robberies and sexual assaults are common.” The State Department did note that while violent crime occurs throughout Jamaica, tourist areas generally see lower rates of violent crime than other parts of the country.

Americans who do travel to Jamaica should expect to find available health care, but the caution by the State Department is that they will not be at the same level as that available in their homeland, noting, “response times are generally lower for emergency services or routine care for illness or injury. Private hospitals often require payment up front before they will admit patients. Those hospitals may not be able to provide specialized care.”

Ambulance services, the State Department advisory says, “are not always staffed with EMTs or always readily available, especially in rural areas. Travelers are advised to bring extra prescription medication as common medications such as insulin can be difficult to obtain.”

The State Department cautions that travelers should obtain traveler’s insurance, including medical evacuation insurance, before visiting Jamaica, noting that the Department of State does not pay medical bills and that Medicare and Medicaid programs do not apply for treatment in Jamaica.

For travelers who do go to Jamaica, the State Department recommends these tips:

• Do not attempt to bring firearms or ammunition. This includes stray rounds, shells, or empty casings. The penalties for carrying firearms and/or ammunition, even inadvertently, are severe, and can include lengthy prison sentences.
• Be aware of your surroundings and keep a low profile, avoiding public buses, secluded places or situations and walking or driving at night.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at www.step.state.gov to receive alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter

The State Department notes that U.S. embassy staff are forbidden from traveling in nearly a dozen areas of the country due to crime. They are also prohibited from using public buses and from driving outside of prescribed areas of Kingston, the capital, at night.