05 — Medical & hospitals
Healthcare, sorted before you need it
Do this section early. Everything here is far easier to figure out calmly than in an emergency.
Hospitals & clinics
Hyderabad has several large private hospital networks with a strong reputation and experience treating international patients, including Apollo, Continental, Yashoda, and KIMS, alongside many smaller multi-specialty clinics closer to residential areas for everyday care.
- Register at a hospital or clinic near your home as soon as you move in — most let you set up a patient file before you actually need one.
- For routine care, a smaller neighborhood clinic is usually faster than a large hospital; save the big networks for specialists and emergencies.
- Ask other expats which hospital they use for maternity, pediatrics, or any ongoing condition specifically — recommendations vary a lot by specialty, not just by hospital brand.
Save the nearest hospital's direct emergency line in your phone, not just the general number — response and routing can be faster than going through a main switchboard.
Add your community's specific hospital and doctor recommendations here.
Insurance & health cover
Confirm exactly what your employer-provided or personal policy covers before you need it — cashless treatment networks, outpatient coverage, and maternity terms vary widely between plans. Ask whether your preferred hospitals are in-network, since out-of-network treatment can mean paying upfront and claiming reimbursement later.
Keep a physical and digital copy of your insurance card and policy number somewhere accessible to a driver or nanny — in an emergency, you may not be the one who has to produce it.
Emergency numbers
- 112 — national emergency number (police, fire, medical)
- 108 — dedicated ambulance service
- Your registered hospital's direct line — often faster than a general emergency number for non-critical urgent care
Share your home address in a saved note (in English and, if possible, Telugu or Hindi script) with your driver or household help — it speeds up any emergency dispatch considerably.
Pharmacies & medicines
Pharmacy chains are widespread and many deliver, but not every medication you're used to at home will have a direct equivalent available locally. If you take a regular prescription, bring a supply to bridge the gap and ask your new doctor about the closest local alternative early rather than waiting until you run low.
Bring your prescriptions with generic (not just brand) names — pharmacists here can usually match a generic name to a local equivalent far more easily than a Western brand name.