IF THIS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY
Call 108 for an ambulance. Do that first.
108 is the free national ambulance number in India and reaches emergency medical services directly. 112 is the all-services emergency number. Upchaaar is not an emergency service and does not operate ambulances. We send nurses and attendants to homes for planned and same-day care — that is a different job, and in a crisis it is the wrong number to dial.
When to call an ambulance, and when to call us
The distinction matters more than anything else on this website, so it is set out plainly rather than buried in a policy page.
Call 108 — not us
- · Chest pain, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw
- · Breathlessness at rest, or blue lips
- · Stroke signs — face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech
- · Heavy bleeding that will not stop
- · Unconsciousness, seizure, or a serious fall
- · Severe burns, poisoning, or a road accident
Every minute spent on the wrong number is a minute lost. Call 108 first, then call us afterwards if care at home is needed once the person is stable.
Urgent, but not an emergency — call us
- · A catheter blocked or dislodged this evening
- · A dressing soaked through and needs changing today
- · An injection due tonight and the clinic has shut
- · Someone discharged today who cannot be left alone
- · Oxygen or a hospital bed needed at home urgently
In serviceable areas we target assignment in around 60 minutes. If we cannot reach you in time we say so on the call rather than confirming and hoping.
Something needs doing tonight
Tell us what happened. We will say what is actually needed — and if the honest answer is an ambulance, we will tell you that instead.