Comment by shas3 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by shas3 | Hacker News Reader

In India, Google search for a pretty specific string, "<nearest hospital's name> ambulance phone number," showed up a bunch of scammy ads. In our distraught state (an elderly relative had just had a fall), we accidentally called the top ad which turned out to be a scam ambulance service.

A beat up van showed up, without any EMT, a sketchy stretcher without straps, and no tracks or fasteners to hold it down inside the van. We were outraged and asked them to leave immediately. They demanded money to leave, and left only when we threatened to call the police on them.

We realized our mistake and scrolled down to the actual results and called the reputed local hospital which sent a properly equipped legit ambulance. Thankfully it was a simple fracture and the lost time did not lead to dangerous complications. But this could have been fatal if the emergency was more serious.

When I returned to the US, I tried searching for ambulances, and Google conspicuously avoids showing ads and suggests calling 9-1-1.

Sounds like India needs a single number for all emergency services instead of the fractured system they have now.

It also sounds like Google knows to do the right thing when the country government they operate in force them to.

Maybe. But it's easier to say "dial 911" when a country has 911. If India doesn't have something like 911, what is google supposed to recommend? Call 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3!

I don't know, google maps seems to find the phone numbers for places pretty easily. Why is search any different?

Advertisers pay and it's reasonable from financial perspective for Google to turn a blind eye before any complaints.

Their main business is ads, not search.

I guess it's too bad that having a purely financial perspective just isn't reasonable in most cases. I don't understand why people think that's a good excuse to harm and endanger lives, what a wild take

They find phone numbers for places if you are specific enough. If you search, phone number for restaurant, you get a list of restaurants. Google isn't employing someone to curate that list.

Actually, if I google "phone number ambulance" in America, I get a bunch of random ambulance companies and not 911.

If I just google "ambulance" I get stuff about the recent movie.

Thanks, that jingle will be in my head all day...!

That's a lot of work&time. Until then Google should not allow bullshit advertising.

I believe 112 is already the single emergency number. It appears to be a relatively recent thing though.

Tbh, I (and most Indians) don't know how 112 works.

In the US, if you dial 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, in most regions, it is highly likely that an ambulance with EMT/paramedics will arrive in < 10 min.

In my city of Bengaluru, there are, no exaggeration, good hospitals within 2-5 km of any point in the city. Most of these hospitals have ambulance fleets that can get to you fast, within 10-15 minutes. Anecdotally, people prefer calling these hospitals directly for ambulance.

Caveat: I am not recommending hospital ambulances over 112, but just saying that I am not aware of 1-1-2 response time and effectiveness.

That’s totally understandable, I learnt the 100-101-102 numbers I think in school and wasn’t well aware of 112. Thoughtful if I’m not mistaken calling even 911 will redirect you correctly.

> In my city of Bengaluru, there are, no exaggeration, good hospitals within 2-5 km of any point in the city. Most of these hospitals have ambulance fleets that can get to you fast, within 10-15 minutes. Anecdotally, people prefer calling these hospitals directly for ambulance.

Oh yeah certainly, it’s similar here in Mumbai. Having said that fortunately we’ve never had to call one in an emergency.

Not sure why there no direct replies to this, but 108 is a dedicated line for all emergencies. Interestingly 112 and 911 have also worked for me in the past when butt dialed.

Cell networks have a special "call emergency" code, which doesn't actually call a number at all; phones are required by the (ETSI) standard to translate dialling 112 into the call emergency code, and also to translate the national emergency number in the country they are in. Mostly, they solve this by treating 911 and 999 as the emergency number everywhere.

This is so the cell network can prioritise emergency calls and also will allow them to be made even when other calls are blocked (e.g. if you have no credit, or you only have signal on another network, or even if your phone is blocked by IMEI because it was reported stolen).

Landlines are different, they do treat emergency calls as a call to the emergency number and whether they will reroute another country's emergency number to the one where you are will depend on the specific exchange you are connected to (e.g. in the UK, 999 will work on all landlines; 112 on almost all except the oldest analogue exchanges and 911 on most but missing some older exchanges).

Yes, because the US and other nations invested in a standarized system with 91 (112 here), in a corrupt nation that wont happen.

New business idea: Mug the fake ambulance drivers.

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