Emergencies

Emergency numbers and ambulances

Emergencies

Dial 112 if you want an ambulance (ambulans). Depending on the severity of your condition, however, you may prefer a taxi.

The quality and response times of Turkish ambulances will depend on the hospital that operates them. Public ambulances have longer waiting times and lower quality equipment, while private ambulances will arrive faster and have better medical supplies. Consider this carefully when calling for help - if your condition is serious it could be a matter of life or death.

If your condition is not life-threatening (perhaps even if it is, if you live in an area with notoriously slow ambulance service), you may want to call a taxi instead. Please note, however, that while this may be faster in many cases, it will obviously not afford you the same care in-transit as an ambulance. Again, take your condition and local ambulance response times into careful consideration before you opt for a taxi.

Istanbul offers the greatest variety of private ambulance services (such as International Hospital and Medline , but availability decreases sharply in Ankara, Izmir, and smaller cities. In addition, there are air ambulance services available in Turkey, including Doruk Air, International SOS Assistance and Medline Ambulance Service.

Research your options before you get to Turkey and keep the relevant numbers handy in case of emergency.

Further reading

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