Emergencies in Paraguay: numbers, hospitals, and essential advice
It's three in the morning and chest pain wakes you up. Your child falls and can no longer move their arm. You witness a car accident with injuries. A gas smell spreads in the kitchen. Each of these situations requires an immediate reaction, and in Paraguay, the numbers, channels, and contacts are not those you know in France. This guide is meant to be read now, while everything is fine, and not consulted in an emergency: the goal is to have the right reflexes already in place for when they are needed.
The most important point is a single number. The main emergency number in Paraguay is 911, which falls under the National Police. The three main emergency lines in the country – 911 for the police, 132 for volunteer firefighters, and 141 for public emergency medical service ambulances – are interconnected, and a call received on one is redirected to the competent service when it concerns a health emergency. In other words: if you are unsure about the correct number, call 911, and you will be directed. This is exactly what you need to remember in a stressful situation, where you have neither the time nor the mental capacity to deliberate.
Two caveats before going into detail. First, this guide describes an organization, not medical conduct: it does not replace calling for help, nor the instructions of the operator who will answer you, nor first aid training, which any long-term expatriate should consider taking locally. Second, administrative contact information evolves: verify the numbers you save with official sources, and recheck them once a year.
Emergency numbers to know
Complete list
| Service | Number | When to call |
|---|---|---|
| General emergencies, National Police | 911 | The reference number, available continuously and free of charge from a landline or mobile. This is the default reflex in any serious situation, and especially in any situation whose severity you cannot assess. The operator qualifies the call and engages the appropriate service: police, firefighters, or medical resources. A call to 911 is never a mistake. |
| Local Police | 911, or your neighborhood police station | Burglary, theft, assault, traffic accident, dispute requiring a report. 911 is for emergencies; for a complaint or a statement after the fact, your neighborhood comisaría handles the case. Locate it as soon as you settle in, note its address and number, and ask your building guard or neighbors which one is responsible for your address. |
| Public ambulance service (SEME) | 141 | The Servicio de Emergencias Médicas Extrahospitalarias, attached to the Ministry of Health, provides public ambulances. The call is free and the service operates continuously. Depending on your operator and line type, you may need to dial the Asunción area code before the number from a mobile: test the dialing when calm and save both forms in your contacts. Resources are scaled to the country, and availability varies by area and time, which is why it is useful to simultaneously request other channels in a life-threatening situation. |
| Volunteer firefighters | 132 | Fire, gas leak, collapse, trapped person, traffic accident requiring extrication, fallen tree, flood. The Paraguayan fire department relies on voluntary commitment, with companies distributed throughout the metropolitan area. Their teams also provide first aid while awaiting medical resources, and have their own emergency vehicles. Therefore, 132 is both a primary recourse and a useful relay when public medical resources are saturated. |
| Paraguayan Red Cross | Contact details on the organization's website | The Cruz Roja Paraguaya has rescue teams and supplements public services, particularly during large-scale events and disasters. This is not the first number to call for an individual emergency: go through 911 or 141. |
| Your health insurance emergency line | On your insurance card | Each prepaga has a continuously accessible emergency line, indicated on the member card and in its application. Depending on your contract, it may mobilize private medical transport to a facility in its network. Save this number upon subscription under an unambiguous label, and check with your insurer what exactly your plan covers in terms of medical transport: this is a question to ask now, not from an emergency room. |
| Poison Control Center (CIAT) | Number to be found on the Ministry of Health website | The Centro de Información y Asesoramiento Toxicológico provides guidance in case of accidental ingestion of household products, medication overdose, or exposure to a toxic substance. This is a number to note in advance, on the refrigerator as well as in your phone. In case of confirmed ingestion by a child, first call emergency services via 911 or 141: the poison control center complements their intervention, it does not replace it. |
| Electricity emergencies (ANDE) | Number on your bill | Fallen cable, widespread outage, overheating or burning smell on an installation, damaged transformer. The national distributor's complaint and emergency number is on each bill and on its website: copy it into your contacts as soon as you move in. In front of a fallen cable, the rule suffers no exception: do not touch anything, keep everyone at a safe distance, including surrounding puddles, and call. |
| Water emergencies (ESSAP) | Number on your bill | Large leak on the public road, broken pipe, overflow. Internal problems in your home are the responsibility of your plumber or the co-ownership, not the distributor. |
| French Embassy in Asunción | Contact details and emergency service on the embassy website | Loss or theft of passport, arrest, serious hospitalization, disappearance or death of a national, major crisis. The consular section does not substitute for Paraguayan emergency services or police, but it assists with procedures, directs to a lawyer or doctor, and connects with your relatives in France. An on-call system exists outside business hours: check it on the official website. Above all, remember to register in the register of French citizens residing abroad, which conditions the possibility of being contacted in case of a crisis. |
The sheet to display
Copy this sheet, fill in the blank lines with your verified personal contact information, and display it in a visible place in your home, near the entrance or on the refrigerator. Every household member should know where it is, including children old enough to call and anyone working in your home.
| Emergency | Number |
|---|---|
| General emergencies, police | 911 |
| Ambulance, public service (SEME) | 141 |
| Volunteer firefighters | 132 |
| Poison Control Center (CIAT) | To be completed, official source |
| Electricity emergencies | To be completed, see bill |
| Water emergencies | To be completed, see bill |
| Health insurance, emergency line | To be completed, see insurance card |
| Reference clinic, emergencies | To be completed |
| French Embassy | To be completed, official website |
| Personal emergency contact | To be completed |
Emergency hospitals and clinics in Asunción
Public emergency services
| Institution | Area | Profile | When to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital de Clínicas | San Lorenzo, on the Universidad Nacional de Asunción campus | University hospital, the largest public institution in the country, covering all specialties: general emergencies, traumatology, surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology. | Life-threatening situations, when emergency services take you there or you are close by. Emergencies operate continuously and access is not conditional on coverage. The most serious cases are attended to immediately; others after a potentially long waiting period. |
| Hospital Nacional de Itauguá | Itauguá, on Route 2, east of the metropolitan area | Reference institution for traumatology, surgery, and burn treatment. | Serious trauma and burns, to which emergency services direct based on the required technical facilities. |
| Hospital de Emergencias Médicas | Asunción, central sector | Public institution specifically dedicated to medical and traumatological emergencies, with teams whose core business this is. | Serious emergencies occurring in the capital's center: this is frequently the destination chosen by emergency services for these situations. |
| IPS Central Hospital | Asunción | Own network of Paraguayan social security, reserved for insured persons and their beneficiaries. | If you contribute to IPS and the situation is not life-threatening, this is a relevant option. For a life-threatening emergency, do not reason in terms of membership of a scheme: call 911 and let emergency services decide the destination. |
Private emergency services
Asunción has several private clinics and sanatorios with continuously open emergency departments, offering short waiting times and modern technical facilities. Rather than a ranking of establishments, which will be of no use to you at three in the morning, remember the only useful method: as soon as you settle in, identify the clinic closest to your home that is part of your insurance network and has permanent emergency services. Note its address, phone number, and drive there once from your home to familiarize yourself with the route.
| Criterion | What to check in advance |
|---|---|
| Proximity | The actual travel time from your home, during off-peak hours as well as rush hours. An excellent clinic forty minutes away is less valuable than a decent facility ten minutes away when time is critical. |
| Network membership | Confirmation from your insurer that the facility is approved and that emergencies are covered there, as well as the out-of-pocket expenses remaining for you. Get this confirmed in writing. |
| Technical facilities | The presence of an imaging service and an operating room continuously available, and any potentially critical specialty for your household, such as pediatrics, cardiology, or obstetrics. |
| Continuity | The existence of an on-call service without appointment, the guardia, for things that are not emergencies but cannot wait until the next morning. |
| Second choice | A fallback establishment, useful if the first is saturated or access is cut off, which happens during heavy rains. |
The rule to remember: in a life-threatening situation, call 911 and let emergency services transport the patient to the nearest suitable facility. The choice of establishment is not debatable when life is at stake, and a transfer to a clinic in your network remains possible afterward, once the condition has stabilized. In a situation that is clearly not life-threatening, you can go by your own means to the emergency room or guardia of a clinic in your network. But as soon as there is any doubt about the severity, the call takes precedence: it is precisely the operator's role to assess it, not yours.
What to do in case of: common scenarios
The procedures described below are organizational guidelines. They do not replace first aid training, which several organizations provide in Asunción, and especially not the instructions of the operator who answers you: they are trained to guide a non-professional witness in real time, including for resuscitation gestures. Stay on the line and do what they tell you.
Scenario 1: Chest pain or severe malaise
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Immediately call 911 or 141. State the situation in Spanish as simply as possible: dolor en el pecho for chest pain, no puede respirar for respiratory distress, está inconsciente if the person is unresponsive. Give the address before anything else. |
| 2 | Simultaneously report the situation to your insurance emergency line if you have one, without delaying the initial call. The order matters: emergency services first, then the insurer. |
| 3 | Place the person in the position where they breathe most easily, usually seated or semi-seated, loosen anything that restricts the neck and chest, avoid any exertion or agitation around them. Do not give them any medication on your own initiative: inform the operator of any treatments they are receiving and let them decide. |
| 4 | If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, tell the operator immediately and follow their resuscitation instructions. They will guide you on the rhythm and depth of chest compressions and assist you until help arrives. Resuscitation performed by a witness, even imperfectly, significantly increases the chances of survival. |
| 5 | While waiting, prepare what will save time for the paramedics: ID card, insurance card, list of current medications, known allergies, and open access to the building or notify the guard. |
Scenario 2: Road accident
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Secure the area first, otherwise you risk aggravating the situation. Hazard lights, warning triangle or visible object placed sufficiently far ahead to warn approaching vehicles, and move able-bodied people off the road to safety. Secondary accidents are a real risk. |
| 2 | Call 911: accidente de tránsito, hay heridos (traffic accident, there are injured people). Locate yourself precisely, giving the street, the nearest intersection, the neighborhood, and a visible landmark, as street signage can be inconsistent. A commercial landmark or a gas station is often more effective than a street number. |
| 3 | Do not move the injured, unless there is immediate danger such as a fire starting. A spinal injury handled improperly can have permanent consequences. Cover people, protect them from the sun, talk to them and stay with them: los paramédicos vienen (the paramedics are coming). |
| 4 | Photograph the scene before any vehicle movement: positions, damage, license plates, signage, marks on the ground, from multiple angles. Also collect the identity, insurance, and contact details of other drivers, as well as witnesses. |
| 5 | Do not leave the scene before the police arrive. Fleeing after an accident involving injuries is a criminal offense. The police report, the parte policial, then determines everything that follows with the insurance companies: ask for a copy and keep it. |
| 6 | If you are injured, inform the emergency responders that you have private insurance and let the medical team decide on the destination based on your condition and the necessary technical facilities. A transfer to a clinic in your network can then be arranged: this is an administrative matter and should not be settled by the roadside. |
Scenario 3: Burglary or assault
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | If the intruder is still present, do not confront them under any circumstances. Get to safety, leave if you can, take refuge with a neighbor, and call 911 from a safe place: hay un ladrón en mi casa. No possession is worth the risk of a confrontation. |
| 2 | If the premises are empty, do not touch anything or tidy up before the police arrive, as traces are evidence. Filing a complaint, the denuncia, is essential for any subsequent action with your insurance. |
| 3 | Notify the building's security guard if you have one, and request the immediate preservation of common camera recordings. These systems operate in a loop and overwrite images after a frequently short period: the request must be made immediately, in writing if possible. |
| 4 | In case of physical violence, call 911 and request both police intervention and medical care. Get examined even if the injuries seem minor to you: the medical certificate established at the emergency room is an essential part of the file, and some consequences are not immediately visible. |
| 5 | Report the claim to your insurance within the contractually stipulated deadlines, which are generally very short. Gather a copy of the complaint, photographs, the medical certificate if applicable, and a detailed inventory of what is missing, along with any invoices you have. |
| 6 | Contact the consular section of the French embassy if the situation is serious, if you are hospitalized, or if you need legal assistance. The embassy does not replace local authorities but can refer you to a lawyer and inform your relatives. |
| 7 | Do not neglect the aftermath. A burglary or assault leaves traces beyond material damage, and it is normal to need to talk about it in the days that follow, for yourself and for the children in the household. |
Scenario 4: Accidental ingestion or poisoning
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Immediately call 911 or 141, and the poison control center for toxicological guidance. Describe the situation: un niño tomó un producto de limpieza, specifying the product, the estimated quantity, and the time of ingestion. |
| 2 | Never induce vomiting on your own initiative, and do not give anything to drink or eat without instructions. Some products, especially caustics and solvents, cause more damage coming up than going down, and the inhalation of gastric contents constitutes an additional danger. |
| 3 | Keep the container, packaging, or blister pack and take them to the hospital. The exact composition determines the therapeutic approach, and an approximate description wastes valuable time for the team taking over. |
| 4 | If the person loses consciousness but is still breathing, place them on their side in the recovery position to prevent inhalation in case of vomiting, and report it immediately to the operator, who will adapt their instructions. |
| 5 | The best measure remains preventive: keep household products and medicines out of reach and preferably locked up, never transfer them to a beverage bottle, and give clear instructions to anyone working in your home. |
Scenario 5: Prolonged power outage
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | First, determine if the outage is general or limited to your home: check if neighbors and streetlights have power. If you are the only one affected, check the electrical panel, as an appliance might have tripped the protection. If the problem recurs or is accompanied by an odor or overheating, turn off the power and call an electrician. |
| 2 | If the outage affects the neighborhood, report it to the distributor at the number on your bill, and consult their information channels, which publish the affected areas and estimated restoration times. Outages due to storms are common and can be prolonged. |
| 3 | Unplug sensitive devices such as computers, televisions, and air conditioners, as power surges upon restoration are the most common cause of damage. Surge protectors on important outlets and a UPS for a remote workstation are a modest investment given the equipment protected. |
| 4 | If a household member is on medication requiring cold storage, anticipate: ask your pharmacist or doctor for precise instructions on what to do with your medication in case of a cold chain breach, and keep the necessary insulated material ready for use. The instructions vary depending on the products and cannot be improvised. |
| 5 | Never use a generator, barbecue, or combustion stove inside the dwelling or in a closed garage: carbon monoxide is odorless, and poisoning occurs without warning signs. |
Scenario 6: Severe storm or flood
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Storms in Paraguay are violent, with strong gusts, hail, and rains capable of saturating streets in a short time. The reflex is to stay indoors, close windows and shutters, and move away from them, as projections and broken glass are the main domestic risk. Wait until the event is over before going out, even to assess the damage. |
| 2 | Never drive into a flooded road, even on a route you know. A modest water level is enough to lose grip and then control, and drownings in vehicles are one of the most frequent causes of death during these events. Nor should you attempt it on foot: currents, open manholes, and submerged cables make crossing dangerous. |
| 3 | Call 911 or 132 if you are in danger, if water is rising in your home, or if a tree has fallen on a dwelling or vehicle. If water reaches electrical installations, cut off the main power supply before it reaches them, and never do so while standing in water. |
| 4 | Have an emergency kit ready: flashlight and batteries, drinking water, non-perishable food, power bank, radio, first-aid kit, duplicates of your documents. Candles should be avoided in the presence of children or after a storm; a flashlight is safer. After a major storm, power restoration can take several days in some areas. |
Practical tips for emergencies
Prepare in advance
- Save all numbers today. Create a dedicated emergency contact group with 911, 141, 132, the poison control center, your insurance, your reference clinic, and the embassy. When you need it, you'll open your contacts, not search online.
- Install the 911 alert app. It allows you to send an alert with your location, which is crucial if you cannot speak, or cannot speak Spanish. During installation, make sure geolocation is authorized, and test its functionality once.
- Learn about ten phrases. Necesito una ambulancia (I need an ambulance), hay un herido (there is an injured person), dolor en el pecho (chest pain), no puedo respirar (I can't breathe), está inconsciente (she is unconscious), accidente de tránsito (traffic accident), fuego (fire), robo (theft), mi dirección es… (my address is…), estoy en la calle… (I am on… street). Also write them down on a piece of paper kept at home and in your wallet.
- Carry a medical information card. A simple card in your wallet with your name, blood type, allergies, current treatments, insurance number, and emergency contact, preceded by the mention en caso de emergencia llamar a…. If you are unconscious, this document will speak for you. Supplement it with the same information accessible from your phone's lock screen.
- Identify your reference institution. The nearest clinic, covered by your insurance, with permanent emergency services, whose address and route you know. Plan for a second one, in case of saturation or blocked access.
- Review your coverage before you need it. Are emergencies covered from the time of subscription or after a waiting period? What part remains at your expense? Is medical transport included? Which network establishments have permanent emergency services? These questions should be asked to your insurer now, in writing, not from a waiting room.
- Take a first aid course. This is the most useful measure on this entire list. Several organizations in Asunción offer them, in Spanish, over a day. Knowing how to alert, position a victim, and perform chest compressions truly changes the outcome of certain situations.
During the emergency
- Slow down before acting. A few breaths before dialing the number significantly improve the quality of information you are going to transmit. A clear call saves more time than a hurried one.
- Call emergency services first. Before your spouse, before your friend, before your family. They cannot send an ambulance. Notify your loved ones once the alert has been given.
- Give the address first. This is the only truly essential information: if communication is cut off, emergency services know where to go. The rest can be completed afterwards.
- Do not hang up until the operator tells you to. They may have additional questions or instructions to give you, including actions to perform. They will stay with you until the teams arrive.
- Facilitate access. Have the gate or building opened, notify the security guard, and if possible, send someone to guide emergency services from the street. In neighborhoods where addressing is imprecise, these few minutes count.
- Never confront an armed individual. Not for a vehicle, not for a phone, not for a home. Possessions can be replaced.
Conclusion
Emergency services work in Paraguay, and the system is simpler than it seems. Three numbers structure the whole: 911 for police and general orientation, 141 for public ambulance services, 132 for volunteer firefighters. These lines are interconnected, which means a misdirected call will be redirected: if in doubt, call, there is no wrong number. In addition to this public foundation, private clinics provide permanent emergency services under good conditions, covered by your local health insurance, provided you have checked the network and waiting periods in advance.
The essence of this guide actually lies in what you will do in the next twenty minutes. Save the numbers, complete and display the information sheet, identify your reference clinic and its route, write your medical information card, call your insurer to clarify your emergency coverage. Then sign up for a first aid course. A well-prepared emergency is still an emergency, but it unfolds under incomparably better conditions than an improvised emergency, and this is the only part of the equation you can control.
Are you preparing to move to Paraguay? Contact our team for comprehensive support: Paraguayan tax residency (from €1,400, Express formula €1,800), bank account opening (€250), business creation in Paraguay, LLC creation in the USA, DNIT accounting (€30/month) and real estate support. Two days on-site are sufficient for the in-person part, with over 200 cases processed and 100% acceptance.