Emergencies in Kathmandu

Good to Know

• Nepal has no single unified emergency number like 911 or 112 — save 100 (police), 101 (fire), and 102 (ambulance) separately in your phone before you need them.
• The Tourist Police (dial 1144, or visit their office near the Nepal Tourism Board in Bhrikutimandap) are generally more useful than the regular police line for foreigners due to better English and experience handling tourist issues.
• Response times and English-language support for the standard police/fire/ambulance lines can be inconsistent, especially outside central Kathmandu — it's worth having your hotel, guesthouse, or hospital keep a direct local number on hand as a backup.
• The official Nepal Police App lets you view emergency numbers and find nearby police stations without creating an account, which is handy if you don't want to register just to have contacts on hand.
• For serious trauma (major accidents, head injuries, fractures needing surgery), the National Trauma Center is the country's primary specialized referral facility, but private hospitals like CIWEC, Norvic, and Grande are generally preferred by foreign travelers for English-speaking staff and smoother insurance/evacuation coordination.
• The U.S. Embassy in Nepal has noted that medical care in Nepal is limited and often does not meet U.S. standards, and that emergency medical services, especially in public hospitals, are of poor quality compared to that available in the United States.
• Helicopter evacuation from remote trekking areas to Kathmandu commonly costs $3,000–$10,000, and international medical evacuation can exceed $50,000 — travel/evacuation insurance is strongly recommended before trekking.
• If you're injured or fall seriously ill while trekking, CIWEC and Norvic are the two hospitals most set up to receive and coordinate helicopter-evacuated patients.