Emergencies in Qatar: who to call and where to go

In a real emergency in Qatar you need to remember one number: 999. It reaches the Ministry of Interior's operations room, which sends police, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) ambulance or Civil Defence (the fire and rescue service). HMC ambulances are free and emergency departments treat anyone who is critically ill or injured, whatever their nationality. Not every urgent problem needs an emergency department, though: PHCC (Primary Health Care Corporation) runs 24-hour urgent care at many health centres, and a doctor can advise you by phone on 16000. This guide is for new arrivals, families and workers. Read it once now, save the numbers in your phone, and use the order below when something happens: decide how serious it is, call or go, then deal with paperwork and payment afterwards.

Before you start

• Your Qatar ID (QID), and the QIDs of everyone in your family. Since April 2026 the QID is used instead of a printed health card at government facilities
• Your health insurance card or policy number (from your employer, or your own policy), and the insurer's 24-hour phone number
• For visitors: passport and the mandatory visitor health insurance policy bought before entry
• Your exact home address: building number, zone and street (the blue plate on your building), plus a nearby landmark
• A short list of each family member's allergies, long-term conditions and regular medicines, saved in your phone
• These numbers saved in your phone: 999, 16000, 107, 991, 4439 6066 (Pediatric Emergency Centre hotline) and 4003 1111 (Qatar Poison Center)
• Your embassy's after-hours emergency number, from your embassy's website
• A charged phone and some credit or a card for parking, taxis and pharmacy costs

Step by step

1. Decide how serious it is

   Call 999 or go to an emergency department for anything that could kill or disable: chest pain, signs of a stroke (face drooping, weak arm, slurred speech), difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, a serious injury or fall, a seizure, collapse or loss of consciousness, or a severe allergic reaction. For problems that need care today but are not life-threatening, such as a sprain, a minor burn, fever, mild breathing symptoms or a urine infection, use a PHCC urgent care centre instead. If you are unsure and the person is stable, call 16000 to speak to a doctor or nurse. If in doubt about a life-threatening sign, call 999; it is never wrong to ask for help.

2. Call 999 and give clear details

   Dial 999 from any phone; it is free and answered 24 hours a day in Arabic and English. Stay calm and answer the operator's questions, because those answers decide what is sent and how fast. Say what happened, how many people are hurt, whether they are awake and breathing, and the exact location: building number, zone and street, or the nearest landmark or interchange on a highway. Keep your phone on and near you after the call in case the ambulance or police call back. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can use 992 by SMS, video call or email.

3. Get ready for the ambulance

   The HMC Ambulance Service is free of charge within Qatar and takes the patient to the right emergency department. While you wait, unlock the door, switch on outside lights, and send someone down to the street or building entrance to guide the crew. Do not move an injured person unless they are in danger where they are. Gather the patient's QID, insurance card and medicines to hand to the crew. For serious cases, wait for the ambulance rather than driving yourself, because the crew starts treatment on the way.

4. Know the adult emergency departments

   HMC runs 24-hour emergency departments at Hamad General Hospital (the main trauma centre in Doha), Al Wakra Hospital, Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital (which took over Al Khor Hospital's emergency department in October 2024 and covers Al Khor, Umm Salal and Lusail), Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, and the Cuban Hospital in Dukhan. The Women's Wellness and Research Center handles pregnancy and gynaecology emergencies only. Everyone is triaged on arrival, so the sickest patients are seen first and waits for minor problems can be long. Al Khor Hospital still offers walk-in urgent care for non-critical problems.

5. Take children to a Pediatric Emergency Centre

   Children under 14 should go to an HMC Pediatric Emergency Centre (PEC), not the adult department. PECs are open 24/7 at Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, the Airport area, Al Khor, Al Wakra Hospital and Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital. They treat high fever with drowsiness, breathing problems, persistent vomiting or dehydration, injuries and falls. The PEC hotline 4439 6066 is answered 24/7. Sidra Medicine also runs a 24-hour Children's Emergency Department for serious emergencies up to age 18.

6. Use a 24-hour urgent care centre for non-life-threatening problems

   PHCC health centres with urgent care treat minor burns, sprains, high fever, dehydration, dizziness and similar problems around the clock. As of June 2026 there are 16 centres for adults (Al Ruwais, Umm Salal, Muaither, Al Mashaf, Al Sadd, Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Al Sheehaniya, Abu Baker Al Siddiq, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Kaaban, Al Karaana, Leabaib, Al Wajbah, Al Thumama, Al Khor and Al Waab) and 11 of them also see children. You can use any of them, not only the centre you are registered with. If you turn out to need hospital care, they stabilise you and transfer you to HMC by ambulance. Check PHCC's website before you go, because the list grows.

   Read guide: Get your health card (now linked to your QID) →

7. Call 16000 when you are not sure

   16000 is the government healthcare hotline. Through it, PHCC doctors give phone or video consultations from 7am to 11pm every day, and nurses answer overnight (11pm to 7am) and tell you where to go, including the nearest urgent care centre. HMC also runs an Urgent Consultation Service on 16000 on weekdays during the day. Use 107 to book, change or cancel PHCC appointments; it is not an emergency line. Have the patient's QID ready when you call.

8. Show your QID and insurance, and expect to settle costs later

   In a true emergency you are treated first and the paperwork comes after. Show the patient's QID (residents) or passport (visitors), and the insurance card. Residents with a valid health number get subsidised care at HMC, but further treatment, medicines and admission may be charged depending on your insurance. Visitors are covered by the mandatory visitor insurance for emergency treatment up to QAR 150,000; if HMC has no agreement with the insurer, you may have to pay first and claim it back. If the condition is judged not to be an emergency, you pay. Ask the insurance coordination desk in the emergency department if you are unsure, and keep every receipt and report.

   Read guide: Health insurance in Qatar: what residents and visitors need →

9. Know the helplines for mental health and poisoning

   The National Mental Health Helpline is 16000, option 4. It is free and confidential, staffed by mental health professionals, and runs during the day (check the current hours on hamad.qa). If someone is in immediate danger or may harm themselves, call 999 or go to the nearest emergency department, where psychiatry teams can assess them. For a suspected poisoning, such as a child swallowing medicine or cleaning products, call the Qatar Poison Center at Sidra Medicine on 4003 1111 (9am to 1am daily) for free expert advice. If the person is unconscious, fitting or struggling to breathe, call 999 first; the Poison Center cannot send an ambulance.

10. After a car accident, check for injuries first

    Switch on your hazard lights and check whether anyone is hurt. If anyone is injured, the damage is major, or the drivers disagree about who is at fault, do not move the cars and call 999 so police can see the scene. If it is a minor accident with no injuries, take clear photos of both cars and the number plates, then move the cars off the road so traffic is not blocked; leaving them in the road can lead to a fine. Minor accidents can be registered in the Metrash app's traffic accident service, with both drivers' QIDs and plates and the photos. Never repair the damage without the police accident report, because insurers and garages need it.

    Read guide: Traffic fines in Qatar: check, pay, object, and avoid the travel ban →

11. Fire, gas, power and water emergencies

    For a fire, smoke or a gas smell, get everyone out, close doors behind you, and call 999; Civil Defence is dispatched through the same number. Do not use lifts during a fire. For a dangerous electricity fault, a power cut or a burst water main, call Kahramaa (the electricity and water company) on 991, which is open 24/7; keep your electricity and water account number ready, as the line starts with an automated menu. You can also report faults with photos on Kahramaa's WhatsApp, 3030 3991. Problems inside your flat, such as a leaking pipe after the meter, are usually for your landlord or building maintenance.

    Read guide: Kahramaa: connecting electricity and water and paying bills →

12. Tell your embassy and your employer if needed

    If you, a relative or a colleague is seriously ill, injured, arrested or dies, contact your embassy's emergency line; embassies can help contact family and explain local procedures, but they cannot pay hospital bills. Tell your employer or sponsor too, as they may need to help with insurance approvals, sick leave and documents. If a visitor has no insurance contact, the visitor policy details are on the insurance certificate issued before travel. Once things are calm, save every number in this guide in your phone and teach older children to dial 999.

    Read guide: Your first 30 days in Qatar →

What it costs

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

• Driving a seriously ill person to hospital yourself instead of calling 999, losing the treatment the ambulance crew starts on the way
• Not knowing your building number, zone and street, which slows the ambulance down; check the blue plate on your building today
• Taking a child under 14 to an adult emergency department instead of a Pediatric Emergency Centre
• Going to an emergency department with a minor problem and waiting hours, when a 24-hour PHCC urgent care centre or a 16000 call would be faster
• Calling 107 in an emergency; it is PHCC's appointment line, not an emergency number
• Moving cars after an accident with injuries or a dispute, or leaving cars blocking the road after a minor accident with no injuries
• Leaving home without the QID or insurance card, which can cause billing problems later even though emergency treatment is not refused
• Visitors assuming their home travel insurance is enough without checking the mandatory Qatar visitor policy details

Questions people ask

Official sources

• HMC: Emergency Care Services (emergency departments and Pediatric Emergency Centres) ↗
• QNA: PHCC expands 24-hour urgent care (June 2026) ↗
• The Peninsula: PHCC services, 16000 and 107 (March 2026) ↗
• HMC: hotlines and services, including 16000 options (March 2026) ↗
• Gulf Times: MOI on 999 and the 992 service for the deaf (September 2026) ↗
• Sidra Medicine: Qatar Poison Center ↗

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

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