The one page to save before you need it. Phuket is a safe island, but accidents happen — a scooter spill, a rip current, a lost passport. Here are the numbers that actually get help fast, which hospitals have 24-hour ERs, and exactly what to do in the moments that count.
If you remember nothing else: 1669 for an ambulance, 191 for police, 199 for fire, and 1155 for the English-speaking Tourist Police — the line that will translate and coordinate everything else for you as a foreigner. Add them to your phone today. Below is the fuller list, the island's 24-hour emergency rooms, and step-by-step guidance for the situations Phuket visitors and residents actually face. For everyday medical care and insurance, see the Phuket healthcare & hospitals guide; for prevention, the safety guide.
These are national short codes that work across Thailand, Phuket included. The Tourist Police (1155) are staffed to help foreigners in English and are the best first call when you're unsure who to reach.
| Service | Number | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical / ambulance (national EMS) | 1669 | Free national line, some English. For serious injury, chest pain, drowning or unconsciousness. |
| Police | 191 | All-purpose police emergency across Thailand. |
| Tourist Police (English-speaking) | 1155 | Your first call as a foreigner — scams, theft, accidents, disputes and translation help, 24/7. |
| Fire & rescue | 199 | Fire, building collapse and rescue. |
| Narenthorn EMS (medical dispatch) | 1554 | Alternative medical emergency line if 1669 is unreachable. |
| Marine / water police | 1196 | Boat accidents, sea rescue and incidents in the water. |
| Tourist hotline (TAT) | 1672 | Not an emergency line, but a 24-hour English tourist information & assistance service. |
Know your nearest ER before you need one. Phuket's private international hospitals cluster in Phuket Town and are the smoothest option for foreigners — English-speaking staff, international patient centres and direct insurance billing. The government hospitals (Vachira, Patong, Thalang) are the main trauma centres and cover the beaches and the north.
| Hospital | Area | Type | Notes | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok Hospital Phuket | Phuket Town | Private | 24-hour ER, international patient centre, English-speaking | +66 76 254 425 |
| Bangkok Hospital Siriroj | Phuket Town (Chalermprakiat Rd) | Private | 24-hour ER, international department | +66 76 361 888 |
| Dibuk Hospital | Phuket Town | Private | 24-hour ER, central and convenient for the town | +66 76 610 888 |
| Vachira Phuket Hospital | Phuket Town | Government | 24-hour ER, the island's main public hospital and trauma centre | +66 76 361 234 |
| Mission Hospital Phuket | Phuket Town (Thepkrasattri Rd) | Private | 24-hour ER, long-established mission hospital | +66 76 237 220 |
| Patong Hospital | Patong | Government | 24-hour ER — closest public option to the Patong/Kathu beaches | +66 76 342 633 |
| Thalang Hospital | Thalang (north island) | Government | 24-hour ER for the north — Bang Tao, Cherng Talay & the airport area | +66 76 244 245 |
For a life-threatening emergency, call 1669 rather than driving. For serious-but-stable injuries, a Grab or taxi to the nearest ER is often faster than waiting for an ambulance on the hill roads.
Motorbike crashes are the single most common serious emergency for visitors to Phuket. If it happens, work through this in order.
Get to safety first. Move yourself and the bike out of live traffic if you can — Phuket's hill roads are fast and drivers may not see a downed rider around a bend.
Call 1669 for an ambulance if anyone is seriously hurt, or 191 for police. For a foreigner-friendly English response, 1155 (Tourist Police) will help coordinate and translate.
For non-critical injuries it is often faster to take a Grab or taxi straight to the nearest 24-hour ER (see the hospital table above) than to wait for an ambulance on a remote road.
Photograph everything before vehicles are moved if it's safe: the scene, both vehicles, plates, damage and any injuries. This matters for insurance and any dispute over fault.
Do not admit fault or sign anything you can't read. Wait for police and, if needed, the Tourist Police, and call your travel or health insurer's assistance line.
Check your cover now, not later: many travel policies exclude motorbike injuries unless you hold the correct licence and were wearing a helmet. Keep your policy's 24-hour assistance number saved.
The sea is Phuket's most underestimated danger, especially in monsoon season. Rip currents, boat incidents and jellyfish are the ones to know.
If you see someone in trouble in the surf, do not swim out after them unless you are trained — rip-current rescues drown rescuers every year. Throw or extend something that floats and alert a lifeguard.
Call 1669 for an ambulance and 1196 for the marine police for any sea or boat incident. On a lifeguarded beach, get the lifeguards first — they have rescue equipment and are fastest.
For a rescued swimmer who has inhaled water, insist on hospital assessment even if they seem fine: secondary drowning can develop hours later. Head to a 24-hour ER.
Obey the flags. A red flag means the water is closed — most Phuket drownings happen when swimmers ignore it during the May–October monsoon. See the full water-safety detail in the Phuket safety guide.
Jellyfish stings (including rare box jellyfish in the wet season): flood the sting with vinegar, do not rub it, remove tentacles carefully and seek medical help for severe reactions — vinegar stations sit on some beaches.
A lost passport is stressful but routine to fix — as long as you do it in the right order.
Report it immediately to the Tourist Police (1155) or the nearest police station and get a written police report — you cannot get a replacement travel document or leave the country without it.
Contact your embassy or consulate in Bangkok (or your country's honorary consul in Phuket, if it has one) to arrange an emergency passport or travel document. Take the police report, photos and any ID copy you have.
Then visit Phuket Immigration to re-stamp your visa/entry status into the new document — a lost passport also loses your entry stamp and TM card, which you must replace before departure.
Keep digital and paper copies of your passport photo page, visa and TM30/entry card somewhere separate from the original — it makes replacement far faster. Store a copy in the cloud too.
Most countries' full embassies are in Bangkok, but a number maintain an honorary consul in Phuket who can help in emergencies (deaths, serious accidents, lost passports) — among them the UK, Australia, Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria and others. Honorary consuls have limited hours and services; for anything urgent, call your Bangkok embassy's 24-hour emergency line first and they will direct you.
Useful when it isn't a 999-moment — immigration errands, airport queries, traffic matters and tourist assistance.
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Phuket Immigration Office | +66 76 221 905 |
| Phuket International Airport (HKT) | +66 76 632 700 |
| Traffic police | 1197 |
| Highway police | 1193 |
| Consumer / tourist complaints (TAT hotline) | 1672 |
Dial 1669 for an ambulance and emergency medical services, 191 for police, 199 for fire and rescue, and 1155 for the English-speaking Tourist Police — who are the best first call for most foreigner situations because they translate and coordinate with the other services. For sea and boat incidents, call the marine police on 1196. These are national short codes that work anywhere in Thailand, including all of Phuket.
The main private 24-hour ERs are Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, Dibuk Hospital and Mission Hospital, all in and around Phuket Town, plus the large government trauma centre at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Patong Hospital covers the west-coast beaches and Thalang Hospital covers the north (Bang Tao, Cherng Talay and the airport area). For a serious emergency, a private international hospital's ER is usually the smoothest for foreigners, but always confirm your insurer covers it.
For life-threatening emergencies — unconsciousness, severe bleeding, chest pain, a drowning or a bad crash — call 1669 and let trained paramedics come. But for injuries that are serious yet stable, taking a Grab or taxi straight to the nearest 24-hour ER is often faster than waiting for an ambulance on Phuket's hill roads, and gets you to a doctor sooner. Know your nearest ER before you need it.
Move out of traffic, then call 1669 for an ambulance if anyone is hurt or 1155 for English-speaking Tourist Police help. Photograph the scene, both vehicles, plates and any damage before anything is moved, don't admit fault or sign documents you can't read, and call your insurer's assistance line. Remember that many travel policies won't pay motorbike claims unless you held the correct licence and wore a helmet — check that today, not after a crash.
Report it to the Tourist Police (1155) or a police station and get a written police report — you need it to replace the document and to leave the country. Then contact your embassy in Bangkok or your country's honorary consul in Phuket to arrange an emergency passport, and afterwards visit Phuket Immigration to re-stamp your visa and entry status into the new passport, since a lost passport also loses your entry stamp and TM card. Keeping copies of everything makes the whole process much faster.
Most countries' full embassies are in Bangkok, but several nations keep an honorary consul in Phuket who can assist in emergencies such as serious accidents, deaths and lost passports — including the UK, Australia, Germany, France and various Nordic and European countries. Their hours and powers are limited, so for anything urgent call your Bangkok embassy's 24-hour emergency line first; they will tell you whether the Phuket honorary consul can help.
The Tourist Police line (1155) is staffed to help foreigners in English and is your safest first call. The general lines (1669, 191, 199) may have limited English, so if you can, ask a Thai speaker nearby to help, or call 1155 and let them coordinate. Private international hospitals in Phuket have English-speaking staff and international patient centres, which is another reason they are the smoothest option in a medical emergency.
Settling in? Pair this with the Phuket healthcare guide, the safety guide and our relocation guides.
Primary and official sources are cited above. Government rules, fees and procedures in Thailand change over time and vary by office; always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before relying on them. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.
Phuket Town keeps you minutes from the island's 24-hour ERs; the beaches trade that for the sea. Match your home to how you actually live — and where help is fastest.
General information only, not medical, legal, immigration or emergency advice. Phone numbers, hospital services and consular arrangements change — verify a number before you rely on it, and in any real emergency call the national short codes (1669, 191, 199, 1155) first and follow the instructions of on-the-ground responders and authorities.
Hero photo by Antonio Batinić on Pexels.