Emergencies in El Gouna

Good to Know

• 112 is the easiest number to remember if you're unsure which service you need — it routes to police, ambulance, or fire.
• Tourist Police (126) is often the most useful line for a nomad in El Gouna dealing with theft, scams, or lost documents, since staff are trained to assist non-Arabic speakers.
• For anything short of life-threatening, going directly to El Gouna Hospital's 24/7 ER (or taking a taxi there) is often faster than waiting for a dispatched ambulance — this is a general pattern across Egypt, not unique to El Gouna.
• El Gouna Hospital has the Red Sea region's only hyperbaric chamber, which matters given how many nomads in El Gouna dive or kitesurf — a decompression incident can be treated locally rather than requiring evacuation to Cairo.
• There is no dedicated, official Egyptian government emergency/safety smartphone app equivalent to systems used in some other countries; the most reliable digital safety step is enrolling in your own embassy's travel alert program (e.g., US STEP) before arrival.
• Save numbers in your phone before you need them — English-language support is more reliable through the Tourist Police (126) or hotel/hospital staff than through the general 122/123/180 lines.
• El Gouna Hospital is essentially the only full hospital in El Gouna town itself, so for any serious trauma or medical emergency it's the default destination — call the emergency line directly rather than a general hospital switchboard number.
• Because of the town's dive and kitesurf tourism, the hospital's hyperbaric chamber for decompression sickness is a genuinely distinctive local resource, not something typical resort towns have.
• As a private hospital serving many international visitors, expect to pay upfront or show insurance; confirm your travel insurance is accepted before non-emergency treatment, though true ER emergencies are treated immediately regardless.