Emergencies in Manama

Good to Know

• Save 999 in your phone before you need it — it is the single number for police, fire, and ambulance and connects you straight to the national Emergency Call Centre.
• When you call 999, be ready to clearly state your location (building number, road name/number, block number or nearby landmarks), the nature of the emergency, and the service you need.
• Turn on notifications in the MyGov app so you receive official siren/alert pushes directly — useful given that regional security conditions have been dynamic at times, and official channels are more reliable than social media rumors.
• Non-emergency numbers like the Police Hotline (80008008) and Coastguard (17700000) are for reporting or inquiries — always use 999 for anything urgent or life-threatening.
• Foreign residents/visitors are entitled to emergency stabilization care, but should still carry travel/health insurance since non-emergency and elective treatment generally isn't free for expats.
• Salmaniya Medical Complex is the country's main public emergency and trauma hospital in central Manama and is where the most severe cases are typically taken by ambulance.
• Private hospitals like American Mission Hospital (Manama branch) and Royal Bahrain Hospital run 24/7 emergency/urgent-care services and are often faster for non-critical urgent issues than the public system, though they will stabilize and transfer major trauma cases to Salmaniya or another Level-1-capable facility.
• Bahrain's ambulance dispatch is centralized nationally, so in a genuine emergency you don't need to choose a hospital yourself — call the ambulance service and they will route you to the appropriate facility, which may be outside central Manama (e.g. King Hamad University Hospital in Muharraq or BDF Hospital in Riffa) for higher-level trauma or cardiac care.
• Multiple online reviews describe long ER wait times and overcrowding at Salmaniya Medical Complex; private hospitals may be a more comfortable option for non-life-threatening urgent care.