Health & Emergency

In case of an emergency those dialling from a land line or public phone should use the following numbers: 999 for an ambulance, 998 for the fire brigade and 997 for the police. Mobile phone users should call 112 to be forwarded to the relevant department. English speaking assistance is not necessarily guaranteed, and rests on the linguistic capabilities of the operator.

Between June 1st and September 30th however, English, German and Russian speakers have the option of using a separate line specifically designed for foreigners in distress: dial 800 200 300 from a land-line or 608 599 999 from a mobile phone for troubles during high-tourist season.

If you've woken up to find you've got a raging headache, a swollen foot you can't put weight on and vague memories of some kind of calamity, we suggest you sort it out by calling a private clinic, thus avoiding the hassle of the notoriously long queues in Polish hospitals; a list of private clinics can be found in the Directory in the back of this guide. Further help can be provided by embassies and consulates, a list of which can also be found in the Directory. If it's a financial emergency your hopes will rest on a Western Union money transfer. Most banks and many exchange bureaus (kantors) can now carry out such transactions, just keep an eye out for the Western Union logo.