If someone is in immediate danger, call 120 for an ambulance in China. Give the location before trying to explain the full medical history. In Chongqing, the municipal government also lists 110 for police, 119 for fire and 122 for road-traffic accident police. If you cannot communicate in Chinese, put the call on speaker and ask a hotel employee, station officer, venue worker or nearby person to state the address. Do not delay an urgent call while searching for insurance documents.
This guide is written for first-time international visitors in Chongqing, Chengdu and elsewhere in mainland China. It explains access, communication and paperwork; it does not diagnose illness, recommend treatment or replace instructions from emergency dispatchers and licensed clinicians. Emergency response, English-language support, deposits and hospital procedures differ by city and institution, so the safest plan is to know the official number, carry a small bilingual information card and keep several ways to pay and communicate.
Emergency numbers to save before you arrive
China uses different numbers for different emergencies. Save the four numbers below in the phone of every adult traveller and also keep them in an offline trip note. A roaming or travel-data plan does not always include ordinary voice calling, so confirm before departure whether your phone can place local calls. When a call cannot be completed, ask a local person or staffed venue to call from a Chinese phone.
| Number | Service | Use it when | First information to give |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | Emergency medical rescue / ambulance | Serious illness, major injury, loss of consciousness, breathing difficulty or another situation requiring urgent medical response | Exact location, what happened, number of patients and a callback number |
| 110 | Police | Personal assault, theft, threats or an immediate public-security concern | Location, nature of danger and whether anyone is injured |
| 119 | Fire | Fire, smoke, suspected gas emergency or rescue from a dangerous location | Address, floor or landmark and the visible danger |
| 122 | Road-traffic accident police | A road collision requiring traffic-police attendance | Road or landmark, vehicles involved and whether medical help is also needed |
A traffic accident can require more than one service. If anyone needs urgent medical help, call 120; if there is fire or entrapment, call 119; and use the police number appropriate to the situation. Follow the dispatcher rather than trying to manage a multi-agency response yourself. Official Chongqing guidance confirms all four numbers, while the State Council guide identifies 110, 119 and 120 as the core police, fire and first-aid contacts.
What to do in the first ten minutes
Start with danger, location and communication. Move away from traffic, fire or another immediate hazard only when it is safe to do so. Call the appropriate emergency service and give the address first because a disconnected call is more useful if the dispatcher already knows where to send help. In a hotel, metro station, museum or shopping centre, alert staff immediately; they can often provide the precise Chinese address, building entrance and route for responders.
- Make the scene safer. Do not put yourself or other travellers in danger. Follow emergency-dispatch instructions and avoid moving a seriously injured person unless remaining in place creates a greater immediate risk.
- Call and locate. State the city, district, road, building, hotel or landmark, floor and room where relevant. In Chongqing, one street address may have entrances at different elevations, so identify the accessible entrance and send someone to meet responders.
- Describe what responders need to know. Say what happened, how many people are affected, whether the person is conscious and breathing, and any known immediate hazard. Do not attempt a diagnosis.
- Keep one person with the patient. If travelling as a group, another person can meet the ambulance, collect documents and notify the insurer. Keep the phone line available for a callback.
- Follow professional instructions. The dispatcher or clinician may give situation-specific directions. Those instructions take priority over a travel website or general checklist.
If you are alone, tell the dispatcher or helper that no companion is present. Unlock the room or arrange reception access when safe, keep your phone with you and message one trusted contact with your location. Do not post a passport image, medical document or live room number publicly on social media while asking for help.
Calling 120 when you do not speak Chinese
The most useful preparation is not memorising a long medical vocabulary list; it is having your current location written in Chinese. Keep the hotel name, full address, front-desk number and nearest recognisable landmark in a pinned offline note. In Chongqing, include the building entrance or road level where an ambulance can stop. In a railway station or airport, show the note to uniformed staff and ask them to make or support the call.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 我需要救护车。 | Wǒ xūyào jiùhùchē. | I need an ambulance. |
| 这里是…… | Zhèlǐ shì… | The location is… |
| 病人失去意识。 | Bìngrén shīqù yìshí. | The patient is unconscious. |
| 病人呼吸困难。 | Bìngrén hūxī kùnnan. | The patient is having difficulty breathing. |
| 请说慢一点。 | Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. | Please speak more slowly. |
| 我不会说中文。 | Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén. | I do not speak Chinese. |
Pronunciation does not need to be perfect if you can show the written sentence and address. A translation app can support simple facts, but machine translation is not a substitute for a qualified interpreter when clinicians are discussing consent, risks or complex treatment. Ask whether the hospital can arrange interpretation, contact your insurer assistance service, and involve a trusted companion where appropriate.
Ambulance, hospital arrival and what to expect
For a potentially life-threatening situation, use 120 and follow the dispatcher. For a stable problem that does not appear to require emergency transport, a hotel, insurer assistance line or official consular medical-facility list may help identify an appropriate clinic or hospital. A convenient private clinic is not automatically equipped for every emergency, and an online review cannot tell you which facility has the required department or capacity at that moment.
Hospital procedures vary, but a foreign visitor may encounter registration, triage, consultation, tests, pharmacy collection and payment as separate steps or counters. Keep the original passport accessible if available, together with insurance details, a usable payment method and the name of an emergency contact. However, do not postpone an urgent call or lifesaving care because a document cannot immediately be found.
Bring a bilingual medical summary if you have allergies, a chronic condition, implanted device, pregnancy or regular medication. The summary should use generic medicine names where possible, because brand names differ between countries. Keep essential medication in its original labelled packaging and carry enough supply within current entry rules. The legal status and availability of medicines can differ in China, so check with your clinician and the relevant Chinese embassy before travel rather than assuming a refill will be identical.
When a procedure, admission or discharge document is presented, ask what it is, what decision is required and whether interpretation is available. Do not sign something you do not understand merely to keep the queue moving. In an urgent situation, clinicians will apply the relevant medical and legal process; this guide cannot describe every consent scenario. The practical goal is to communicate identity, allergies, medicines and the person authorised to assist with decisions.
Hospital payment, travel insurance and claim records
Healthcare in China is not free for foreign visitors and treatment can be expensive. Payment and deposit arrangements differ by hospital, and travel insurance does not guarantee that a hospital will bill the insurer directly. Carry more than one payment route: a working mobile wallet, an international card where accepted and access to emergency funds. Never assume that showing an insurance certificate removes the need for a deposit or payment.
Contact the insurer emergency-assistance line as soon as the patient is safe and urgent care is underway. Ask whether the facility is recognised by the plan, whether pre-authorisation is required for continued non-emergency care, whether direct billing may be arranged and what documents will be needed. Do not allow an insurance phone queue to delay an ambulance call. The insurer decides assistance and claims under the policy; the hospital decides care and billing under its procedures.
Before leaving the hospital, request and preserve the documents relevant to your case. These may include an itemised bill, proof of payment, diagnosis or clinical summary, test reports, prescriptions, discharge instructions and any fit-to-travel or follow-up note. Photograph paper records, store the originals flat and note the name and date of each facility. Ask the insurer which documents need translation rather than paying an unofficial intermediary who promises a guaranteed reimbursement.
Children, older travellers and people travelling alone
Families should carry each child’s identity details, allergies, medicines, insurance information and the names and contacts of parents or guardians. Keep one adult free to communicate while another stays with the child, and bring a familiar comfort item if time and safety permit. Do not give a child medicine based only on a translated internet result; follow a licensed clinician or emergency professional.
Older travellers and people with chronic conditions should carry a concise medication schedule and a recent medical summary from their treating clinician. Build itineraries with realistic heat, altitude, walking and rest expectations, especially in Chongqing’s stairs and summer climate. If mobility equipment, oxygen, dialysis or another continuing service is required, arrange and verify it before departure rather than assuming any nearby hospital can provide the same setup without notice.
A solo traveller should give a trusted person access to the itinerary and insurer details, keep the hotel’s Chinese address offline and identify an emergency contact who can answer across time zones. Consider a phone lock-screen emergency note that reveals only the minimum useful information. Store passport copies securely; avoid putting a full passport number, policy document and home address together on a card that can easily be lost.
A ten-minute medical readiness check before departure
Preparation should be compact enough that you will actually use it. Save the four emergency numbers, your hotel address in Chinese, the hotel telephone number, the insurer’s 24-hour assistance number, your embassy or consulate contact and one trusted personal contact. Make the information available offline and share it with the people travelling with you.
- Confirm that at least one phone can make voice calls in China, not only use data.
- Create a bilingual medical card with name, date of birth, allergies, key conditions, current medicines and emergency contact.
- Carry essential medicines in original labelled packaging and verify China-specific entry restrictions before travel.
- Keep the policy number and assistance telephone number offline; read the emergency and evacuation sections of the policy.
- Carry two independent payment methods and a modest emergency reserve.
- Save an official medical-facility list relevant to your nationality as a planning aid, while recognising that it is not an endorsement or real-time capacity check.
- Tell a companion where documents and medicines are kept.
- For children, older travellers or complex conditions, discuss the trip with the treating clinician before departure.
Kakagogo can help a booked traveller communicate an address, reach a hotel, organise practical translation or contact an agreed local provider within the service scope. Kakagogo is not an emergency service, medical institution or insurer; it cannot diagnose, select treatment, guarantee hospital admission, promise English-speaking staff or decide whether a claim will be paid. In an emergency, contact 120 or the appropriate public service first.
Continue with our China travel-insurance checklist, mobile-data guide and visitor payment setup. These three preparations make it easier to call, communicate and pay if a problem occurs.