Emergencies

Locals and police are usually very helpful in emergencies. Most police officers speak some English or will contact someone who does. For police, fire, and ambulance emergency services, dial 999.

There are 24-hour accident and emergency services at Caritas Medical Centre, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Ruttonjee, and Tseung Kwan O Hospital. Nonresidents will always be treated immediately, although they are usually charged a set fee of HK$990 for each use of the public health-care system.

The following hospitals also have 24-hour pharmacies: Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Queen Mary Hospital. Local drugstore chains Watsons and Mannings have shops throughout the city; closing times generally vary between 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm.

Consulate

U.S. Consulate General. 26 Garden Rd., Central, Hong Kong, n/a Hong Kong. 2523–9011; hongkong.usconsulate.gov.

General Emergency Contacts

Police, Fire, and Ambulance Emergency Services. 999.

Hong Kong Police Hotline. 2527–7177.

Hospitals and Clinics

Caritas Medical Centre. 111 Wing Hong St., Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, n/a Hong Kong. 3408–5678; www.ha.org.hk.

Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. 3 Lok Man Rd., Chai Wan, Hong Kong, n/a Hong Kong. 2595–6111; www.ha.org.hk/pyneh.

Prince of Wales Hospital. 30–32 Ngan Shing St., Sha Tin, New Territories, n/a Hong Kong. 3505–2211; www.ha.org.hk/pwh.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 30 Gascoigne Rd., Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, n/a Hong Kong. 3506–8888; www.ha.org.hk/qeh.

Queen Mary Hospital. 102 Pok Fu Lam Rd., Pok Fu Lam, Western, Hong Kong, n/a Hong Kong. 2255–3838; www3.ha.org.hk/qmh.

Ruttonjee Hospital. 266 Queen's Road E., Wan Chai, Hong Kong, n/a Hong Kong. 2291–2000; www.ha.org.hk.

Tseung Kwan O Hospital. 2 Po Ning La., Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon, n/a Hong Kong. 2208–0111; www.ha.org.hk.

Pharmacies

Mannings. 2299–3381; www.mannings.com.hk/eng.

Watsons. 2608–8383; www.watsons.com.hk.

Government Advisories

As different countries have different worldviews, look at travel advisories from a range of governments to get a sense of what's going on out there. Be sure to parse the language carefully. For example, a warning to "avoid all travel" carries more weight than one urging you to "avoid nonessential travel," and both are much stronger than a plea to "exercise caution." A U.S.-government travel warning is more permanent (though not necessarily more serious) than a so-called public announcement, which carries an expiration date.

The U.S. Department of State's website posts travel warnings and advisories, as well as consular information sheets issued for every country that contain general safety tips, entry requirements (though be sure to verify these with the country's embassy), and other useful details.

Consider registering online with the State Department (https://travelregistration.state.gov), so the government will know to look for you should a crisis occur in the country you're visiting.

Contacts

U.S. Department of State. 888/407–4747; 202/501–4444; www.travel.state.gov.