Emergencies in Prague

Good to Know

• 112 is the easiest number for foreigners/tourists in Prague to remember and use — it connects to English-speaking operators and works even without a Czech SIM card or credit.
• Downloading the free Záchranka app before you need it is worth doing: pressing its SOS button auto-shares your GPS location with responders, which is especially useful if you don't know exact street names in Prague.
• 156 (municipal police) is the right number for non-urgent public order issues like loud neighbors, while 158 (state police) is for crimes and traffic accidents.
• Street corners in Prague's historic center are marked with number plates, and lamp posts are numbered — useful for describing your exact location if you're unsure of the address.
• Czech emergency care is organized by specialty, not one central ER — you may be sent to a specific clinic (trauma surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, etc.) rather than a single general emergency room depending on your condition.
• Motol University Hospital is the largest and most comprehensive hospital in the country, but its adult ER is oriented toward acute medical conditions rather than accident trauma — the Military University Hospital (ÚVN) is the officially designated major trauma center for polytrauma/accident cases.
• As an EU citizen with an EHIC, or as a traveler with travel insurance, you're entitled to necessary treatment — there's no free-care agreement between the US and Czech Republic, so travel medical insurance is strongly recommended for US visitors.
• English-speaking staff/representatives are available at Motol, Na Homolce, and ÚVN, but this isn't guaranteed at every facility — Na Homolce specifically also offers German, French, and Russian-speaking emergency staff.
• Ambulance transport itself is billed and payment (including by credit card) may be requested by the crew at time of service.