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Guidance

Mental health support for UK nationals in Ecuador

Updated 10 July 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ecuador-mental-health-support-abroad/ecuador-mental-health-support-for-british-nationals

Disclaimer

The information contained in this note is intended for your general guidance only, it is not a substitute for obtaining your own medical and legal advice. While all due care has been taken in compiling this information, accuracy cannot be guaranteed and the applicable law and procedures may occasionally change. For these reasons, neither His Majesty’s Government nor any member of the British Consular staff can accept liability for any costs, damages or expenses which might be incurred.

His Majesty’s Government holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998 (which may be viewed at www.ico.org.uk). Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK Government Departments and public authorities.

Consular support

Whenever possible we will seek your consent before taking any action on your behalf.

We can:

  • listen to you and help you look at your options
  • help you contact friends and family, with your permission
  • visit you in hospital
  • raise any concerns about your treatment or welfare for example, with hospital
  • help doctors in Ecuador contact UK doctors who know your medical history, with your prior consent
  • give you information about local pharmacies
  • offer help, if you choose to remain in Ecuador or elsewhere

We cannot:

  • give you advice on mental health issues
  • buy or supply medication
  • withhold or remove your passport
  • stop you from travelling abroad
  • request you to return to the UK
  • pay for you to return to the UK
  • pay for your food, accommodation or medical bills
  • get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people

See below for more detailed information on how to contact the British Embassy’s consular team for assistance.

What to do if you need help

Emergencies

If there is an emergency or you need urgent medical attention, you can:

  • call 911. You will be asked which service you require and should request a doctor or an ambulance or
  • go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department (‘emergencias’)

Although ECU911 (the integrated security and emergency service) does have some English-speaking call handlers, not all emergency services or doctors speak English. Consider using the ECU 911 free smartphone application to register any medical issue or to request emergency assistance.

If necessary, request assistance from a Spanish-speaking person to help you make the call or accompany you to the hospital.

Contact the British Embassy Quito at +593 2 3972 200 (24/7).

During your call or visit to the hospital, you should provide details of your medical history, including any previous mental health episodes or diagnoses, to support any assessment. You should also provide details of any current or previous medication, as this may help determine the most appropriate treatment.

After you are assessed by a general doctor, you may be referred onto another medical provider or service for further care. Depending on your financial situation, and whether or not you have medical insurance, you will have the option to choose private or public treatment.

Less urgent care

Ecuador has a national healthcare system, the Red Pública Integral de Salud y Red Complementaria, which is managed by the Ministry of Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública – MSP). The system provides free access to public hospitals and medical centres. It is supported by the private healthcare sector, which complements the services available through the public system.

Read more information on how to access public health care in Ecuador.

To access non-urgent treatment, you must either be registered with the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) or make an appointment with a GP through the public healthcare system (MSP), who can refer you to a specialist (‘derivación’/‘referencia’) if required.

For IESS appointments, call 140.

To make an appointment with the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) (except in emergencies), you can call 171 and select option 1 (toll free). Appointments can also be booked via WhatsApp, the MSP website, Facebook, or the SaludEc mobile app.

You can also access IESS’s online appointment system (‘Servicio en línea’).

Mental health services in Ecuador

Public mental health services in Ecuador are organised across three levels of care and are delivered through a community mental health network (‘red de salud mental comunitaria’):

  • tier 1: Healthcare centres (A, B and C) provide psychological care, general outpatient care, and intensive outpatient care (‘atención ambulatoria’) through the Servicio Ambulatorio Intensivo (SAI). This level focuses on the promotion of mental wellbeing, prevention, early intervention and treatment

  • tier 2: basic and general hospitals provide emergency care, as well as outpatient and inpatient treatment, usually through referrals from tier 1 services. This level includes specialised mental health units (Unidades de Salud Mental – USM) that support patients with mental health conditions

  • tier 3:includes specialised hospitals and centres that provide care for complex cases, including severe mental health conditions that require specialised outpatient treatment or temporary inpatient care. Services at this level include specialised psychiatric treatment (‘Hospital Especializado Julio Endara’ and ‘Centro Ambulatorio Especializado San Lázaro’), as well as mobile assessment unites, social care community and reinsertion follow-up teams. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes are also available through the Centro Especializado en el Tratamiento a Personas con Consumo Problemático de Alcohol y otras Drogas (CETAD). Access to these programmes generally requires completion of a detoxification phase in a tier 2 hospital

Patients must give their consent before receiving inpatient treatment by signing an informed consent form (‘consentimiento informado’).

There is a structured referral system between the three tiers of care. Except in emergencies, patients are generally expected to enter the system through Tier 1 services. Once a patient receiving treatment at tier 3 has stabilised, they are typically referred back to tier 1 or tier 2 services for ongoing care and follow-up treatment.

Priority attention is given to vulnerable groups (‘grupos de atención prioritaria’), which may include elderly, children and adolescents, pregnant women, detainees, foreign nationals and victims of violence. However, not all Provincial Health Directorates (Direcciones Provinciales de Salud – DPS) operated by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) offer services for all of these priority groups (DPSP for Quito/Pichincha does).

If you are registered with a GP (‘médico general’) through IESS or MSP, you can book an appointment to discuss your condition. If appropriate, the GP may prescribe medication or refer you to a tier 2 specialist for further assessment and treatment.

The outpatient services offered by state hospitals (Ministerio de Salud Pública – MSP) may vary from province to province.

In general, only in-person mental health public treatment is available. However, the MSP´s Mental Health Management has some additional support partners offering psycho-social virtual assistance for critical cases.

If you are visiting Ecuador and need to see a doctor because you are unwell or need a repeat prescription, see the list of English-speaking private doctors in different parts of Ecuador.

Repeat or replacement prescriptions

If you are on holiday or have recently moved to Ecuador and need a repeat or replacement prescription, you should contact a local GP or a hospital’s emergency warden in case of an emergency.

The referred doctor will be responsible for assessing your mental health and your medical prescription, which also may involve using a matching process to identify the generic medication available in Ecuador if your exact branded medication is not available. A copy of your prescription can help doctors find the same or similar medication.

Involuntary/compulsory hospitalisation

Involuntary hospitalisation may occur if a person poses a risk to themselves or others and refuses assessment or treatment.

If you have mental health needs and are hospitalised without your consent, the hospital may contact the British Embassy.

For more information on the assistance the British Embassy can offer you, check the following documents:

In Ecuador, non-emergency involuntary admission to hospital has to be ordered by a judge. This includes cases involving adolescents and their parents who make a petition directly to a judge. However, a competent doctor has authorisation to involuntarily admit a person to hospital in an emergency without prior judicial approval. The judge can be informed after the event.

For critical cases where a patient cannot consent to admission and has no next of kin in Ecuador to do so on their behalf, a psychological assessment report may be submitted to a judge to obtain a judicial order (‘orden judicial/de amparo’). Arrangements will also be made to identify appropriate social support following discharge from hospital.

Once admitted to hospital, a psychiatrist will be assigned to oversee the patient’s assessment, treatment, discharge and ongoing care, including prescribing any medication. Arranging ongoing outpatient care may be easier for residents with an established local support network. However, public healthcare is available to everyone, regardless of immigration status. Visitors experiencing a mental health breakdown (‘descompensación’) may receive temporary inpatient treatment until their condition has stabilised.

Costs of hospitalisation

The public healthcare system in Ecuador provides free emergency care and medical attention for everyone, including non-residents.

In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency ward (‘emergencias’) or call 911 to request an ambulance.

The nearest hospital may be a private facility, where you can remain until your condition has stabilised. If you do not have health or travel insurance, or cannot meet the costs of treatment, you may be able to transfer to a public hospital once stabilised. This will be subject to the relevant admission and transfer procedures.

Private hospitals generally require either a signed credit card authorisation or proof of health insurance before admission. However, some hospitals may not have a direct agreement with your insurer, meaning you may need to pay for treatment yourself and then claim reimbursement from your insurance provider. If so, make sure you obtain copies of your medical records and all original invoices relating to your treatment.

Returning to the UK

You may wish to return to the UK after completing any treatment in Ecuador.When you are discharged from hospital, you should ask for a copy of your medical records. These are not provided automatically and must be requested by the patient.

If you plan to return to the UK, ask your doctor for a fit-to-travel certificate to provide to your airline. You should also check whether your airline requires its own medical form to be completed or has a separate medical clearance process.

You will normally be responsible for covering the costs of your return to the UK. If you are unable to pay for the expenses, your travel insurance company may be able to cover repatriation costs. You can discuss the options available to you with the British Embassy’s consular team – they can contact friends and family on your behalf to seek financial help.

Neither the Ecuadorean nor British authorities can fund repatriation. Hospitals might help with some practical arrangements. With your consent, we can help you contact travel care services at UK airports for support upon arrival.

See medical repatriation companies in the UK.

Contact the British Embassy for assistance

You can contact the British Embassy´s consular team at any time (+593 2 3972 200) and they will determine how to assist you best. This includes:

  • helping you contact your family or friends if that´s what you want
  • signposting you to relevant support organisations
  • and/or providing you with lists of English-speaking medical practitioners and local hospitals

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you can ask for their assistance in obtaining a medical assessment or hospital admission, depending on your condition. With your consent, they may accompany you to hospital and contact the Embassy to request consular assistance.

In more serious cases, and with your consent, the embassy may engage with the Ministry of Public Health’s Mental Health Directorate or Provincial Health Teams (MSP DPS) to help identify available assessment and treatment options within the public healthcare system.

Other useful information

UK support organisations

Ecuadorean organisations

Private and public helplines

Note that it is not guaranteed that an English-speaking official will be available.

  • Anima EC - Instituto de Neurociencias in Guayaquil is a member of Befrienders Worldwide Support. They provide free-of-charge psychological crisis support, including assistance for stress, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts or behaviours. This anonymous emotional support emergency service is available both in English and Spanish. You can contact them via call or text message from Monday to Friday, from 7am to 4pm via:

    • emergency Line:  +593 (0) 99 719 6911
    • WhatsApp emergency numbers: +593 (0)98 879 3649 / +593 (0)98 878 3425
    • ‘Anima EC’ mobile application. Download the application for free from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. After installing, select ‘SOS Emotions’ which will initiate a WhatsApp conversation
    • Instagram account: animaec

  • Ministerio de Salud Pública (MSP) (only Spanish): helpline for mental health emotional support (‘contención’), including for alcohol and drug issues, and crisis support for people with suicidal conduct. To connect, dial 171 and select option 6. They are available from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4:30pm.

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