Home · What to do · Private or state ambulance: an honest comparison

Private or state ambulance: an honest comparison

The state ambulance is free, obliged to come and permanently overloaded. A private one costs money but treats you as its only patient and stays as long as needed. Neither is better at everything — the difference lies in the task, and it is worth understanding before something happens.

Call now +7 (985) 887-82-52dispatch line, 24/7 (Russian-speaking)

Write to usWhatsApp Telegram MAX

What to do right now

Arrival time
State: 20 minutes for an emergency call, up to 2 hours for a non-urgent one. Private: 10–30 minutes inside the MKAD regardless of category.
What the crew does
Both work to the same emergency care standards. The difference is time: a private crew stays as long as needed, sets up a drip, records an ECG, observes.
Hospital admission
The state crew takes you by dispatch order to a duty hospital. A private one does the same under insurance, or to a hospital or private clinic of your choice by arrangement.
Transport and escort
The state service does not do planned transfers, discharge home or intercity journeys. These are private services only.
Price
State — free. Private — from 6,000 ₽ for the call-out, then by the price list. Hospital treatment under compulsory insurance is free in both cases.

Call an ambulance if

A threat to life and no time — call 103 and a private crew at once; whoever arrives first helps
An urgent condition while 103 promises hours of waiting
Transport: from hospital to home, to an examination, to another city
A specific hospital or a private clinic
You need the crew to stay and treat, not "give an injection and leave"

What not to do

Do not think in terms of ownership during a heart attack or stroke — think in terms of speed
Do not refuse state hospital admission in favour of a paid one without a reason — it is the same hospital
Do not use a service without an ambulance licence — check the Roszdravnadzor register
Do not expect a private service to bypass hospital admission rules

What the crew does

Licence for emergency and specialised emergency care, including anaesthesiology and intensive care
Class B and C ambulances equipped to the Ministry of Health order
Doctors and paramedics with valid accreditation
Contract, receipt, recorded calls

This page is for information and does not replace a medical examination. If the condition worsens, call the crew: +7 (985) 887-82-52.

This page in Russian: Russian version.

Questions

Are private ambulances legal in Russia?

Yes, it is a licensed medical activity. AYUMED holds a licence from the Moscow Department of Health for emergency and specialised emergency care; it can be checked in the Roszdravnadzor register.

Can a private crew issue a sick note?

No — ambulance services, private or state, do not issue certificates of incapacity for work in Moscow. Outpatient clinics do.

Can I call a private crew if I already called 103?

Yes. Whoever arrives first helps; cancel the other by phone. We never ask whether you called the state service.