Emergency numbers and help in Uzbekistan

The numbers

• 101 fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance, 104 gas. These are the numbers Uzbeks use.
• 112 is the unified emergency line and works from a mobile, including one with no credit.
• Assume the operator speaks Uzbek and Russian only. Have someone from your hotel make the call if you possibly can.
• Save your hotel's number and address in Cyrillic on your phone on the first day. It is the single most useful thing you can prepare.

An ambulance is not the fast option

• Response times in the cities are slow and outside them are worse.
• For anything urgent in Tashkent, a taxi to a private clinic is usually faster than waiting, and the clinic will be better equipped than where an ambulance takes you.
• Call your insurer as soon as you can. They may direct you somewhere specific and they will need to authorise payment.

If something goes wrong

• Report a theft to the police and get the written report. Insurers will not pay without it, and getting one takes time and patience.
• A lost passport means your embassy in Tashkent, and you will need the police report first.
• If you are arrested, ask to contact your embassy and do not sign a document you cannot read.
• Keep a photograph of your passport, visa stamp and registration slips in your phone and in your email.

Remote areas

• Karakalpakstan, the Aral region and the mountains have no quick help. Distances to a hospital are measured in hours.
• Tell your guesthouse where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Mobile coverage fails on the desert roads, so an offline map and a full power bank are safety equipment.
• Travel in a group for the Aral Sea, which is a two-day drive from anything.