Health help in India: ambulance, free treatment, medicines and helplines

Where to get help with health in India: emergency numbers, free hospital treatment, low-cost medicines, blood, free online doctors and mental health support. These services are run by the Government of India and work in every state and district. Every link goes to an official government website.

Emergency: 108 and 112

Call 108 for an ambulance. The call is free from any phone, and in most states the ambulance is free too. 112 is the single emergency number for police, fire and ambulance, and works even from a phone without a SIM card.

Free hospital treatment: Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY)

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) pays for hospital treatment up to ₹5 lakh a family a year, without cash, in government hospitals and in private hospitals that have joined the scheme. It covers poorer families listed under the scheme, and everyone aged 70 or over, whatever their income, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.

Check whether your family is covered, and get the Ayushman card, at beneficiary.nha.gov.in (with Aadhaar), or call 14555.
Find the hospitals that take the card in your district on the PM-JAY hospital finder. At the hospital, ask at the Ayushman Mitra desk.
Many states run their own health schemes alongside PM-JAY; your state's services and helplines page lists its health portal.

Low-cost medicines: Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras sell generic medicines of the same quality as branded ones, usually for much less. Find a Kendra near you by choosing your state and district.

Blood: e-RaktKosh

e-RaktKosh, the Health Ministry's blood bank network, shows the blood banks in each district and which blood groups they have in stock today, and lists blood donation camps.

See a doctor online, free: eSanjeevani

eSanjeevani is the Health Ministry's free video consultation service: register with a mobile number, wait in the online queue and talk to a government doctor, who can send a prescription. It also connects health and wellness centres in villages to specialists.

Mental health: Tele-MANAS, 14416

Call 14416 for Tele-MANAS, the free national mental health helpline, open day and night, in many Indian languages. Trained counsellors listen and, when needed, put callers in touch with a psychiatrist or a nearby service.

Your health records: ABHA

The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) is a free health ID that keeps your prescriptions and test reports in one place, to share with doctors and hospitals when you choose.

Health help in your district

Every district's map page on this site has a "Health help" section with these services for that district. Find your district on the maps of Indian states and cities.

Sources: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; National Health Authority; Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India. Links checked November 2026.