103
IS FREE FROM MOBILE
112

I need an ambulance!

/ I need an ambulance!

I need immediate medical assistance! How can I call for it?

1. Moscow Ambulance Service’s main telephone number is “103” (free call for mobile and line telephones)

2. If you need assistance from the Ambulance and other Moscow’s emergency services (police, road police and firefighting service) you should call “112” (free call from line and mobile telephones, even if your SIM card doesn’t work or in case you have a negative balance).

What should I tell the operator?

1. Try to stay calm. Operators will usually respond in a few seconds. Sometimes you might hear automatic answering machine with a message asking you to stay on the phone and wait for assistance.

2. Please do not hesitate to ask the operator to provide you with an English speaking specialist.

3. Foremost the operator will ask you to give him relevant information about your emergency case: What has happened? What is your phone number? What is your address and where is the patient at? Patient’s name and age? Your full name? And so on.

4. Please give your answers in maximized detail. This will help the operator to establish what special Ambulance unit you are in need of and guide it to your place of accident through the shortest way possible. Any additional information may also be very helpful.

5. After that the operator will once more verify your basic information and will give you an update on your ambulance unit arrival. (“ambulance is on its way”, “the ambulance will arrive in 5 minutes”, etc).

6. In some cases your call can be additionally processed by specialists in emergency medical consulting center. Stay on the phone to verify information.

7. In case of road accident, it is necessary to inform the operator how many casualties (at least approximately) there are, whether there are children among the victims or not, etc.

How fast will the Ambulance arrive?

All incoming calls are rapidly processed in our Control center and transmitted to the nearest ambulance unit depending on patient’s location. All units are based on one of 59 Moscow’s Ambulance substations, ready to take multiple emergency calls and rush to assist the patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

After you dial “103” the dispatcher will decide which team will come to your help. Many substations have got both general and specialized teams. These are: pediatric, psychiatric teams, etc. It will be easier for the operator to understand which specialist you need, if you tell him accurately what has happened. Even if it’s a road traffic collision you should note approximate number of injured people, what condition they are in and if there are any children among them.

How can I help the medics?

While medical assistance arrives you could help us by doing the following:

1. If you are calling from a distance, ask someone to meet the Ambulance team or specify exact location where emergency medical assistance is needed.

2. Lock away any family pets.

3. Inform the operator of any details that the medical team could need to get fast into your property (for example: coded lock number or door-phone number, etc.)

4. If patient’s evacuation is needed, you can help medics to carry the stretcher.

5. Stay calm.

Can a patient arrive to the hospital by himself without calling the Ambulance and receive emergency medical help?

If a patient’s health state is stable (he is conscious, not severely bleeding, etc), you can get him to the nearest hospital by yourself, where he’ll receive medical assistance.

How can I get consulting support from the Ambulance?

If you are in need of a medical advice without calling a doctor at home, or you can’t determine whether your situation is an emergency case or not and is threatening your life call directly to the medical Advisory desk of the Moscow Ambulance Service: +7 (495) 620-42-33 or number “103” and the operator will transfer the call to medical specialists. You will receive recommendations whether your situation is critical or not and how to cope with it by yourself. They might also strongly recommend you to wait for Ambulance team to help you out.

In which cases should I call an ambulance and when I don’t need to?

Moscow Ambulance Service specialists are always there to help you out. However, it’s important to know when you should call an ambulance and when you can cope with your problem by yourself.

The most common calls are associated with high temperature, when you have flu or colds. But there are different kinds of fever. If your temperature is lower than +39-40 degrees Celsius you can treat it by yourself, because it is a common defensive body reaction to viruses and can be resolved by its own within 2 or 3 days. In this case consult your travel and health insurance company. You can also use simple and well-known methods of treatment at home.

In other cases, such as a body temperature higher than 39-40 degrees Celsius and long periods of aggravation, it could be considered as an emergency and it’s a good reason to call an ambulance.

In case of an acute distress, sudden illness, sudden deterioration in a patient with chronic disease or a bad injury immediately call “103”. In other cases please consult your travel or health insurance policy and act accordingly.

In case of a non-life threatening injury please consult your travel or health insurance policy and act accordingly.

If your children need medical help call “103” and a specialized pediatric team will respond.