Timor-Leste has one national hospital, Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV), located in the capital, Dili, and five other referral hospitals covering secondary health care needs; these are able to carry out some surgical procedures, including appendectomies and caesarean section deliveries. HNGV is the country's only tertiary referral hospital. However, not all of the tertiary care organised for East Timorese patients is carried out at HNGV; most such care is administered overseas, under a limited number of overseas referrals. According to Júlio Sarmento da Costa, who was appointed Minister for the Affairs of National Liberation Combatants in May 2020 [translation]:
As of 2011, Timor-Leste's hospitals were supported by 65 community health centres and 187 health centres, together with 507 () (SISCa) outposts serving villages and sucos to which access was difficult. By 2016, the number of community health centres had increased to 66, and the number of health posts to 193. , there were 71 community health centres, 318 health posts, seven treatment posts serving as mini health posts, and 600 SISCa outposts.