India
Health & Medical Emergencies
Last verified August 15, 2026
Written for U.S. passport holders
Emergency Numbers
- Dial 112, India's unified national emergency number (launched under the Emergency Response Support System, ERSS), for police, fire, or ambulance. It works even from a phone with no SIM, no signal, or a locked screen.
- The older single-service numbers are still active and commonly used: 108 for medical/ambulance in most states, 102 for basic ambulance transport, 100 for police, and 101 for fire.
- For U.S. consular emergency assistance (a detained or hospitalized American, coordinating care, notifying family), call the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services from anywhere in the world: +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. or Canada) or +1-202-501-4444 (from overseas). This is separate from the local emergency number and won't dispatch an ambulance itself, but it's the number that gets the U.S. government involved.
Getting Treated as a Foreigner
- As a foreign tourist, you'll generally be better served seeking out a private hospital directly (India has a large, well-regarded private hospital sector in major cities) rather than relying on the public ambulance/hospital system, which is built primarily around Indian residents and can vary widely in quality and wait times by region.
- Private hospitals commonly expect payment upfront, a deposit, or insurance verification before non-emergency treatment begins.
The Gotcha
112 is the current unified number, but 108 (medical) remains extremely well known and widely used in practice, in many states you'll get just as fast a response calling 108 directly for an ambulance as you would going through 112 first. Either works; 108 is worth knowing specifically if you want the most direct route to medical help.
Sources
This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change, so check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.
- Emergency numbers (Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)
- Help Abroad (Overseas Citizens Services) (U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs)