Emergency Numbers & Health Care

Emergency numbers, help lines, and health services that go with Chapters 2, 22, 26, and 32. Checked October 2026.

In the book: Chapter 2

The chapter tells how El Salvador's homicide rate fell from about 108 per 100,000 in 2015 to 1.3 in 2025:

• The war, the gangs, and what life under la renta was like
• The Territorial Control Plan and the state of exception, step by step
• Homicide numbers year by year, compared with the US and Canada
• What Salvadorans and the US government say today
• The family's own stories from before and after the change

In the book: Chapter 22

The chapter covers running a home in El Salvador:

• Who sells your power, where your water comes from, and how cooking gas arrives
• What changes when the power goes out, and what keeps running
• Getting ready for earthquakes and the rainy season
• How Civil Protection's color-coded alerts work

In the book: Chapter 26

The chapter covers getting care in El Salvador:

• The three tracks of health care, and what each one covers
• Free care at night and on weekends, and how DoctorSV works
• What to do in a medical emergency
• What your US coverage does and doesn't pay abroad
• Prescriptions, pharmacies, and keeping your records

In the book: Chapter 32

The chapter covers staying safe day to day:

• What the Level 1 advisory means, and the petty crimes visitors still face
• The habits the state of exception asks of you, starting with carrying ID
• Laws that catch newcomers by surprise, from some CBD products to gang symbols
• Two phone scams to watch for, and how to spot them
• Who to call when something happens, and the family's own stories

Security (as of October 2026)

• State of exception: the 55th extension is in force from September 28 to October 27, 2026. It is renewed every 30 days. Legislative Assembly (in Spanish)
• Homicides in 2025: 82, a rate of 1.3 per 100,000 (government count). Attorney General's office (in Spanish)
• US travel advisory for El Salvador: Level 1 since April 8, 2025.

Emergency numbers (as of October 2026)

• 911: National Civil Police (PNC) and general emergencies
• 132: Medical emergencies and ambulances (Sistema de Emergencias Médicas, SEM)
• 913: Fire department (Cuerpo de Bomberos)
• 2281-0888: Civil Protection (Protección Civil)
• 2239-4930: Salvadoran Red Cross (Cruz Roja Salvadoreña)
• 2133-0000: Comandos de Salvamento (rescue and ambulance volunteers)

Police and help lines (as of October 2026)

• Tourist police (POLITUR), a division of the National Civil Police: +503 2511-8300. Tourism Ministry: list of POLITUR's 23 stations (in Spanish).
• 126: ISDEMU's free line for women facing violence, with legal advice and psychological support, 24 hours a day. ISDEMU: the 126 line (in Spanish), and its 126 Te Orienta chat (in Spanish).

US citizens

• US Embassy in San Salvador, emergencies for US citizens: (503) 2501-2999, day or night. From outside El Salvador: (301) 985-8840, extension 2999.
• US Embassy in San Salvador
• Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP): sign-up page
• US travel advisory for El Salvador

Health care

• FOSALUD: health units open 24 hours, and on weekends and holidays (in Spanish), with addresses and phone numbers
• ISSS: Salvadoreño Seguro (in Spanish), health coverage in El Salvador for the families of Salvadorans living abroad
• DoctorSV, the government's free telemedicine app: App Store and Google Play
• Medicare: travel outside the US

Disasters and outages

• Civil Protection (in Spanish): green, yellow, orange, and red alerts
• AES El Salvador (in Spanish): CAESS, CLESA, EEO, and DEUSEM. Scheduled outages (in Spanish). Report an outage: +503 2506-9000, 24 hours a day.
• DELSUR (in Spanish). Scheduled outages (in Spanish). Contact center: +503 2233-5600.