Call 118! (Italian medical emergency number)
cen-to-di-CIOT-to — four syllables. Say it fast and clear. 'Chiamate' — kya-MA-te.
Shout this in any medical emergency in Italy. 118 is the dedicated medical emergency number. Say the number clearly and loudly.
118 is Italy's dedicated medical emergency number. It connects to the 'centrale operativa 118' (dispatch centre) staffed by trained medical personnel. Operators speak Italian and in major cities sometimes English. The European single number 112 also dispatches medical help. Say '118' aloud as 'centodiciotto' — never as three separate digits.
Chiami il 112, è un'emergenza medica!
Call 112, it is a medical emergency!
112 is the EU single emergency number — also dispatches ambulance in Italy
Qualcuno chiami un'ambulanza!
Someone call an ambulance!
Shout this in a crowd — 'qualcuno' (someone) activates bystander response
Abbiamo bisogno di un'ambulanza urgente!
We need an ambulance urgently!
Use 'urgente' to signal severity to dispatchers and bystanders
Italy's 118 medical emergency service was created in 1992 and is coordinated by regional health authorities. Response times average 8-12 minutes in cities, longer in rural areas. Italian ambulances are staffed by either 'soccorritori' (trained first responders) or 'medici e infermieri' (doctors and nurses) depending on the severity code assigned by dispatch. The system is free of charge for emergencies.