Emergencies in Phnom Penh

Good to Know

• Cambodia uses three separate three-digit numbers instead of one universal emergency number: 117 for police, 118 for fire, and 119 for ambulance.
• If you don't speak Khmer, the general 117/118/119 operators may not speak English — the National Police's dedicated foreigner hotline (+855 31 201 2345 / +855 31 601 2345) is generally a better first call for expats and tourists.
• For serious medical emergencies, it can be faster and more reliable to have a tuk-tuk or Grab take you directly to a hospital (e.g. Calmette, Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, or a private international clinic) rather than waiting for an ambulance.
• Save the tourist police, traffic police, and your embassy's emergency numbers in your phone before you need them — official government pages for these numbers are not always kept current.
• There's no dedicated official Cambodian tourist-safety app; ride-hailing apps like Grab (with trip-sharing and driver ID) are the most practical everyday safety tool most nomads actually use.
• Royal Phnom Penh Hospital is the only JCI-accredited hospital in the country and is generally considered the top choice for serious trauma or accidents, but it's located in Sen Sok, a bit outside the central riverside/BKK1 nomad areas — factor in Phnom Penh traffic when estimating transfer time.
• For genuinely critical or complex trauma (severe head injury, major surgery needs), it's common practice locally to stabilize at a hospital like Royal Phnom Penh or Calmette and then arrange medical evacuation to Bangkok — make sure your travel insurance explicitly covers medevac.
• Calmette and Khmer-Soviet Friendship are the main public hospitals handling high volumes of trauma and road-accident cases; they are more affordable but generally have less English-language support and fewer amenities than the private international hospitals.
• Raffles Medical Phnom Penh is a good option for non-emergency and daytime urgent care but does not run a 24-hour trauma ER — go to Royal Phnom Penh, Calmette, Intercare, Sunrise Japan, or Sen Sok International instead for anything serious after hours.
• Always carry your passport and any travel insurance details when heading to a hospital ER — private hospitals typically expect payment or insurance guarantee up front.