What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Kaunas?
Emergency number
112
Police: 02. Ambulance: 03.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: en.wikipedia.org, endo-ern.eu
Good to know
Good to Know
- 112 works from any phone — mobile, landline, or payphone — even without a SIM card or credit, and gets priority routing during network congestion.
- You can get help in English (as well as Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish) when calling 112, which is reassuring for nomads who don't speak Lithuanian.
- You may see the old three-digit numbers (01 fire, 02 police, 03 ambulance) referenced in older guides — just use 112, it's the current standard and routes to the same services.
- If you're in Kaunas, your 112 call is typically picked up by the local Kaunas police station rather than a centralized national call centre, so no need to worry about being routed to the wrong city.
- For life-threatening emergencies, call 112 (the single EU-wide emergency number in Lithuania) rather than going directly to a hospital — an ambulance crew will decide which ER is appropriate.
- Kauno Klinikos (Eivenių g. 2) is the region's main trauma referral hospital and best equipped for severe/major trauma; LSMU Kauno Ligoninė's several sites (Josvainių g. 2, Hipodromo g. 13, Baltijos g. 120) handle high emergency volumes too, but are organized by patient type (adults vs. children vs. orthopedic trauma) rather than one central ER.
- Necessary emergency care is provided free of charge to Lithuanian residents and to EU citizens who present an identity document plus a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC); nomads from outside the EU/EEA without Lithuanian insurance should expect to pay out-of-pocket for anything beyond immediately life-saving care, so travel/health insurance is strongly recommended.
- Emergency departments triage by severity (1–5 categories), so if your issue isn't critical, expect a long wait during busy periods — this is a documented triage design, not just bad luck.
Official Apps
112 Mobile App
- Purpose
- Created specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing users to contact the Emergency Response Centre.
- Coverage
- National (covers Kaunas as part of Lithuania).
- Features
- Allows a video call in Lithuanian sign language (interpreters available 24/7) or an illustrated text-chat wizard, and uses GNSS/phone sensors to send the caller's location to the Emergency Response Centre.
- Limitations
- Requires pre-registration with an authorization code from the Lithuanian Deaf Association, and works only within Lithuania with a Lithuanian mobile SIM.
LT72
- Purpose
- National civil-preparedness app run by Lithuania's fire and rescue department (VPGT), for receiving real-time alerts and emergency-preparedness guidance.
- Coverage
- National (covers Kaunas as part of Lithuania).
- Features
- Sends critical emergency alerts (e.g. severe weather, large fires, disasters) and provides 72-hour emergency-kit preparedness guidance.
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Cost
- Calls to 112 are free, even without a SIM card.
- Details
- In Lithuania, the Emergency Response Centre answers emergency calls to 112, and also informs the respective emergency services about the need for help.
- SMS Option
- If you're unable to speak due to a disability or other reasons, you can send a text message including your name, address, and a brief description of the incident; messages should be written in Lithuanian.
- Availability
- 24/7, and calls to 112 have priority in all communication networks during high call traffic.
- Languages Supported
- 112 number is available in Lithuanian, English, Russian and Polish.
- How Calls Are Routed In Kaunas
- If you have dialled number 112 from elsewhere in Lithuania (outside Vilnius City/District) – the local police station would answer your call, so a call made in Kaunas is answered by the local Kaunas police rather than the national Vilnius-based centre.
Covers
- police
- fire and rescue
- ambulance/emergency medical service
- environmental protection service
Hospitals
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round
- Phone
- +370 37 326262 (24/7 line); registration +370 37 703485
- Name
- Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos (LSMU Kauno klinikos) – Emergency Medicine Clinic
- Address
- Eivenių g. 2, LT-50161, Kaunas (entrance from J. Lukšos-Daumanto g.)
- Trauma Level Designation
- Designated Level I trauma center for the city and county of Kaunas; the Emergency Department itself is housed inside the largest dedicated Trauma and Emergency Care Center in the Baltic States (a purpose-built ~15,000 m² facility opened in 2015).
Notes
- This is Lithuania's largest and most advanced hospital, part of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), and is the primary tertiary referral center for severe trauma, stroke, MI and femur-fracture fast-track pathways in the region.
- The ED sees over 84,000 visits per year and handles more than 500 severe trauma activations (ISS>15) annually, with a service area of roughly 1.5 million people across central-western Lithuania.
- Patients are triaged into 5 severity categories, so wait times for non-critical cases can be long — the most severe cases are prioritized first.
- Name
- LSMU Kauno Ligoninė (Kaunas Hospital of LSMU) – multi-site Admission/Emergency Departments
- Trauma Level Designation
- Provides secondary and tertiary level (II and III) inpatient and outpatient care as a large multi-profile hospital; it is not designated the region's top-tier (Level I) trauma referral center — that role belongs to Kauno Klinikos.
- Address Notes
- Formed in 2020 from the merger of Kauno Klinikinė Ligoninė and Respublikinė Kauno Ligoninė; emergency care is split across several buildings rather than one single ER.
Notes
- Second-largest multi-profile healthcare institution by activity volume in the Kaunas region.
- Because services are split across the Josvainių g. 2 and Hipodromo g. 13 campuses (plus a children's/infectious-disease site at Baltijos g. 120), which ER building you need depends on the type of emergency — adults go to Josvainių/Hipodromo, children to Baltijos g. 120, and fracture/sprain-type trauma to the dedicated orthopedics-trauma unit.
Locations
24 hours a day, every day, all year round
- Phone
- +370 37 306011
- Address
- Josvainių g. 2, Kaunas
- Department
- Adult Admission–Emergency Department (main/central building)
24 hours a day, every day, all year round
- Phone
- +370 37 342115
- Address
- Hipodromo g. 13, Kaunas
- Department
- Adult Admission–Emergency Department
24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays
- Phone
- +370 37 423071
- Address
- Josvainių g. 2, Kaunas (relocated to a newly built Orthopedics-Traumatology clinic building in January 2025; previously at Laisvės al. 17)
- Department
- Orthopedics & Trauma Emergency Unit (traumatologijos punktas) – for fractures, sprains, minor trauma
24 hours a day, every day
- Phone
- +370 37 362502
- Address
- Baltijos g. 120, Kaunas
- Department
- Children's Admission and Emergency Department
+370 37 306055
- Address
- Baltijos g. 120, Kaunas
- Department
- Infectious Diseases Admission
Healthcare
- Overview
- Kaunas has access to high-quality healthcare with both public and private options. The city is home to major medical institutions recognized across the Baltic region.
- Considerations
- Soviet-era attitudes declining in public system; some private clinics may be easier for foreigners. Referral required for specialists in public system except for gynecologist, psychiatrist, dentist.
- Emergency Access
- Emergency services available 24/7 via 112. EU standards apply.
- Public Vs Private
- Public hospitals provide excellent services and are free for EU residents with insurance; private clinics offer shorter waiting times, more personalized services, and English-speaking staff but require direct payment. Nomads often find private clinics less bureaucratic.
Primary Institutions
Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Kaunas Clinics)
- Type
- Public university hospital
- English Support
- Junior specialists and international patient services available; English more readily found in major city hospitals
- Description
- The largest and most advanced medical institution in Lithuania and the Baltic States, with 35 departments across 15 buildings. Renowned for cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and complex procedures including heart transplants. Highly qualified medical staff provides care according to European standards.
Meliva Kardiolita Hospital
- Type
- Private hospital
- English Support
- Yes
- Description
- Prominent private medical center specializing in cardiac surgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery, and weight loss procedures. Known for high-quality care at competitive international pricing. English-speaking staff available.
Health Insurance Note
- Non EU Visitors
- Travelers not covered by EU/EEA/Switzerland health agreements should arrange private travel health insurance before arriving, since they will otherwise have to pay for healthcare services themselves.
- EU Ehic Visitors
- If you have an EHIC, necessary medical care is free of charge at health institutions in the Lithuanian National Health System, and there are no charges for emergency ambulance transport.
Legacy Direct Dial Numbers
- Police
- 02
- Ambulance
- 03
- Fire And Rescue
- 01
- Note
- Older three-digit numbers predating the 112 unification; still commonly listed as historical/backup references, though 112 is now the standard number to use.
Pharmacies
- Delivery
- Same-day delivery available from Camelia pharmacy network and Eurovaistinė in Kaunas.
- Availability
- Pharmacies (vaistinės) are widely available across Kaunas with standard hours; on-call pharmacies (budinčios vaistinės) operate late night or 24 hours in larger cities.
- Consultation Costs
- Private clinics: 30–80 EUR per consultation depending on specialist; public system: free for EU residents with insurance; uninsured patients pay out of pocket
- E Prescription System
- Prescriptions are mostly electronic. Doctor enters prescription into e-sveikata system; patient shows ID/passport at pharmacy to access prescription in database.
- Language Consideration
- Pharmacists speak Lithuanian primarily; brands may differ from home country but active ingredients are consistent.
- Medication Regulations
- Lithuania strictly controls medicine sales. OTC medications (painkillers, antipyretics, allergy remedies, cold medicines, basic digestive aids) available without prescription. Antibiotics, hormonal drugs, strong painkillers, and chronic disease medications require prescription.
- Online Pharmacy Access
- OTC medications can be purchased online through registered pharmacies only. For prescription medications, remote pharmacy platform launched offering online comparison and delivery; customers order online and pick up in person.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Kaunas
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.