Emergencies in Pondicherry

Good to Know

• 112 is the number to remember by default in Puducherry — it routes to police, fire, and ambulance dispatch and is the officially integrated system for this Union Territory.
• Older individual numbers (100 for police, 101 for fire, 108/102 for ambulance) still work in parallel with 112, so don't panic if a local or a hotel staff member gives you one of those instead.
• If you don't want to install an app, you can trigger an emergency alert on many smartphones just by pressing the power button three times quickly — worth testing this on your own phone before you need it.
• For non-emergency tourist assistance, Puducherry has a dedicated Tourist Information line separate from the emergency numbers.
• For life-threatening trauma or accidents, JIPMER's Emergency Medicine & Trauma department is the region's default major referral point and is free/low-cost as a government hospital, though it can be busy given the patient volume it handles daily.
• PIMS in Kalapet is further from the historic city center (White Town/French Quarter) than the other listed hospitals — worth factoring in if you're weighing travel time during an emergency versus calling an ambulance.
• Private hospitals like East Coast Hospitals and Be Well Hospitals tend to be faster for non-critical urgent care and are more centrally located, but will charge for treatment — confirm your travel insurance covers cashless treatment there if possible.