An Emergency Plan for Parents in India When You Live Overseas

When you live overseas, an emergency at your parents' home in India plays out in the first hour without you. What happens in that hour depends on decisions made long before: who gets called, who has a key, which hospital, and how bills get paid. This guide helps you make those decisions now, calmly, with your parents.

Put the result on one page using our emergency information sheet, and share it with everyone involved.

Know the numbers

• 112 is India's national emergency number. The Ministry of Home Affairs' Emergency Response Support System↗ (opens in a new tab) connects 112 to police, fire and health services through state emergency response centres.
• Some states also run their own ambulance number. Check which one is used where your parents live.
• 14567 is Elderline, the national helpline↗ (opens in a new tab) for senior citizens. It offers information, guidance and support, but it is not an emergency service.

The US National Institute on Aging (NIA)↗ (opens in a new tab) recommends keeping emergency numbers in large print near each phone and saved as favourites on mobile phones. Save them on your parents' phones together, and on yours.

Step 1: Choose who acts first

The most important part of the plan is a person, not a document. Agree on:

• First responder: someone who can get to your parents' home quickly, such as a sibling, relative, neighbour or regular helper. Ask them directly, and don't assume.
• Backup: a second person for when the first is travelling or unwell.
• Keys: who has a spare key, so help can get in if the door is locked.

Write their names and numbers at the top of the emergency sheet. Make sure they also have your number and your siblings' numbers, with the country codes.

Step 2: Choose the hospital in advance

Ask your parents which hospital they would want to go to, and check:

• How far it is, and how long it takes to get there at night and in traffic.
• Whether it has an emergency department that's open around the clock.
• Whether your parents' health insurance or scheme is accepted there. For people aged 70 and over, see our note on government health cover.
• A second option, in case the first is full or too far.

Record the hospital's name, address and emergency phone number on the sheet.

Step 3: Decide how money will move

Ask your parents' preferred hospital what it needs at admission, such as a deposit, an ID document or an insurance card, so there are no surprises. Then talk through:

• Who will pay at the hospital in the first few hours: a local family member, or a card your parents carry?
• How you will send money quickly from abroad, and roughly how long a transfer takes from where you live.
• Where insurance or scheme cards are kept, and the insurer's helpline number.

Step 4: Make health information easy to find

Responders and doctors need a few facts quickly. Keep these together and easy to find:

• An up-to-date medication list, with a photo on your phone and the local contact's phone.
• Known allergies and any important conditions, as your parents choose to share them.
• The usual doctor's name and number.
• Recent reports and discharge summaries. A DigiLocker health locker can help here; see where to start.

Step 5: Plan for time zones

If you're eight or ten hours away, an emergency may arrive in your middle of the night.

• Agree which numbers will ring through at night. Many phones let you mark favourites that bypass silent mode.
• Decide who in the family is the point of contact for the hospital, so doctors aren't getting calls from four siblings in four countries.
• Keep a shared family group where the local contact posts updates.

Step 6: Be ready to travel

You may decide to fly home at short notice:

• Keep your passport valid with at least a few months to spare.
• If you're a foreign citizen of Indian origin, check your visa position now. The official OCI portal↗ (opens in a new tab) describes the Overseas Citizen of India card as a multiple-entry, multi-purpose lifelong visa for visiting India, though you still need to carry a valid passport.
• Talk to your employer in advance about emergency leave, if you can.

Reduce the chance of emergencies

Not every emergency can be prevented, but some common ones are less likely with a few changes at home. Our home safety checklist covers lighting, bathrooms, floors and stairs. NIA also mentions carrying a charged mobile phone around the house, so help can be called after a fall.

Test the plan

Once it's written:

1. Walk through it on a call with your parents and the local contact. Does everyone know their part?
2. Put the sheet where people can find it, but not on display to visitors.
3. Review it every few months, and whenever a phone number, doctor or helper changes.