Ambulances and Emergency Numbers in India: What Families Should Know

The key numbers (check them locally)

• 112: the national emergency response number in India, designed as a single number for police, fire, ambulance and other emergencies, reachable from mobile phones and in many places from landlines. It is the first number to remember. In many states it routes to local emergency services, and some states also offer an app or an SMS facility. Confirm what works in your state.
• 108: a widely used ambulance number in many states, operated by state governments or partner agencies, though not in every state or city. Some states use different numbers, such as 102 for certain ambulance services (often linked to maternal and child health or patient transport), or other state-specific numbers. Check which number is active where your parent lives.
• 100: the traditional police number in many places, still in use in some areas.
• 101: the traditional fire service number in many places.
• 14567 (Elderline): a helpline for senior citizens for information, support and guidance, and for reporting abuse or neglect, in connection with government efforts for older people. It is not an ambulance service. Please check the current number, languages and hours.
• Hospital emergency numbers: many hospitals run their own ambulances or have emergency desks. Save your parent's regular hospital's emergency number.
• Private ambulance services: available in many cities, with a range of equipment and staffing, from basic patient transport to ambulances with oxygen and trained staff. Quality and cost vary widely. Identify a reputable one in advance.
• Poison information centres and other special helplines may exist in your city; ask your doctor or hospital.
• Women's and child helplines, such as 1091 and 1098 in many places, are not directly relevant to this guide but may be useful in a family.

Write the numbers that work for your area on a card by the phone, on the fridge and in your parent's mobile phone as favourites, and in the phone of every carer. Also write the full home address, nearest landmark and a contact person who can meet the ambulance.

When to call at once

Do not wait to see if things get better. Call 112 (or your area's ambulance number) for:

• chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back, with sweating or breathlessness;
• signs of stroke: face drooping, arm or leg weakness, slurred speech, sudden confusion, vision loss, severe sudden headache or loss of balance; note the time symptoms began; see stroke warning signs and the first hour;
• severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, inability to speak in sentences; see when breathlessness is an emergency;
• unconsciousness, unresponsiveness, a seizure, severe confusion or sudden drowsiness;
• a fall with head injury, suspected fracture, severe pain or inability to move; see what to do after a fall;
• heavy bleeding that does not stop with firm pressure, vomiting blood, or black tarry stools with weakness;
• choking that does not clear;
• low sugar in a person with diabetes who cannot swallow or is drowsy; see diabetes and low sugar emergencies;
• severe allergic reaction, with swelling of the face or throat or breathing difficulty;
• suspected poisoning or overdose;
• severe burns, electric shock or heat stroke; see heat stroke and dehydration in seniors;
• sudden severe abdominal pain, or high fever with confusion and fast breathing;
• thoughts or actions of self-harm; see depression in older adults.

Ask your parent's doctor for a short list of "call 112" signs specific to your parent's illnesses; see knowing when to call the doctor.

How to make the call

1. Stay as calm as you can, and take a breath. If another person is present, ask them to call while you help the patient. 2. Call the number and listen to the prompts. You may be asked to choose a language or wait briefly. Do not hang up and redial unless the call fails. 3. Say what happened: "My father is 78, he has collapsed and is not responding," or "My mother has chest pain and is sweating." 4. Give the exact address, including building, floor, lane, landmark and nearest main road, and how to enter: gate, security, lift, floor. Say whether the building has a lift and whether it works. 5. Give a phone number where you can be reached and keep the line free. 6. Answer the operator's questions, about breathing, consciousness and bleeding, and follow any instructions, such as how to position the person or start first aid. 7. Do not hang up until told. 8. Send someone to the gate or road to guide the ambulance, switch on lights and unlock doors. 9. Tell security staff or the society office so that the gate is open and the lift is held.

While waiting

• Stay with the person, keep them calm and warm and note the time symptoms began.
• Do not give food, drink or medicines unless advised by the operator or doctor, particularly in stroke or severe illness.
• Position safely: an unconscious person who is breathing is usually placed on their side; a breathless person sits upright; a person with a suspected spine or hip injury should not be moved unless in danger.
• Gather the emergency bag, medicine list, ID and insurance papers; see emergency bag for a hospital visit and emergency contact card and medical summary.
• Unlock and clear the path for stretcher access.
• Inform a family member after the ambulance is arranged.
• First aid training: attend a certified first aid and CPR course so that you know what to do; guidance must be learned hands-on and kept current.

Choosing and using ambulances

• Public and state services are often free or low cost, but response times, equipment and staffing vary by location and demand.
• Hospital ambulances may be quicker for a known hospital, with the right equipment and a team that knows the patient.
• Private ambulances may offer oxygen, monitors and trained staff, at a cost. Ask in advance what is included, whether a paramedic or nurse is on board and how you can be charged. Keep their number and know the cost structure before an emergency, and beware of exploitation in a crisis. Verify credentials where possible.
• Which hospital? Where the patient's condition is time-critical, such as a stroke or heart attack, the nearest suitable hospital with the right facilities is usually best, not necessarily the one you prefer. Ask the ambulance crew for advice. Find out in advance which nearby hospitals have emergency, cardiac and stroke services. See hospital admission and discharge for seniors.
• Cashless treatment and insurance: inform the insurer as soon as practical; see health insurance for senior citizens in india. In a life-threatening emergency, do not delay treatment because of payment or paperwork; hospitals are generally expected to provide emergency care, but practice and rules vary, so ask the hospital and check official guidance.

Prepare your home and building

• House number visible, from the road, with good lighting at night.
• Clear route: no locked gates, no blocked lifts, clear corridors and a way for a stretcher to turn; ask the society or building about lift size and power backup; see lifts and apartment living for seniors.
• Spare key arrangement: a trusted neighbour or a key safe so that responders can enter if your parent lives alone and cannot open the door; see home safety for seniors living alone.
• Alerts: a pendant or watch that calls a family number, a phone within reach and a door sensor can help summon help, though no device ensures rescue and they need testing; see panic pendant buying guide and how an emergency alert system works.
• Security staff and the society office: let them know the plan and numbers.
• Neighbours: one or two who can help.
• Language: if your parent speaks mainly a regional language, make sure carers can explain the address and symptoms in the local language.

Practise and review

Run a drill once or twice a year: where is the bag, who calls, how is the address said, who meets the ambulance? Ask a hospital or local ambulance helpline, on a non-emergency number, about coverage and response times rather than testing emergency lines. Update the card when numbers, doctors or addresses change, and teach everyone in the home, including attendants and teenage grandchildren, the first steps; see training a new attendant: the first week. Plan for load-shedding, floods, heat and festival crowds, which can delay ambulances, with a backup such as a neighbour's car and a pre-identified hospital.

Emotional readiness

Emergencies are frightening. Recognise that you may feel shaky afterwards. Share what happened with family, and if you are a carer in distress, see caregiver burnout signs and prevention. For mental health support, a national tele-mental-health helpline (Tele-MANAS, 14416) has been announced; check the current number and service.

When to ask a professional

Ask your parent's doctor for a written list of emergency signs and the preferred hospital. Ask the local hospital or health department which ambulance numbers work in your area. A first aid trainer can teach emergency skills. For senior citizens' information and support, Elderline 14567 is a helpline; check current availability.