Prank Calls Make Up 86% of Egypt's Ambulance Hotline Traffic

Prank and non-genuine calls account for 86% of calls received by Egypt's ambulance hotline, with only 14% classified as real emergencies out of around 100,000 daily calls, according to the Egyptian Ambulance Authority.

The figures were shared by Dr Amr Rashid, Chairman of the authority, during a meeting with health journalists at its headquarters in Sixth of October City. He said the authority is coordinating with the National Telecom Regulatory Authority to trace prank calls and block the numbers responsible, while calling on the media to help raise awareness about the impact of false reports.

Rashid stressed that ambulance responses to road traffic accidents and urgent medical emergencies remain free of charge, with patients transported to the nearest suitable hospital. Other services, including non-emergency medical transport between hospitals, homes and radiology centres, require partial payment but are subsidised by the state by around 85%. He added that some groups, including dialysis patients and cancer patients unable to pay, are exempt from these fees.

He also highlighted the Raayat Masr initiative, which coordinates the allocation of intensive care beds and neonatal incubators, with the ambulance fleet equipped to transfer patients using specialised equipment such as ventilators and mobile incubators. During the meeting, journalists also received first-aid training and toured the authority's emergency call centre and museum.