A new app will let people in Cyprus call an ambulance with a single tap on their phone, automatically sending their location to the control centre and allowing them to communicate in writing, the head of the Ambulance Service told Phileleftheros.
The SOS Emergency Services app, already running as a pilot, is expected to be available to the public in early 2027, alongside the planned launch of the National Ambulance Organisation, Riana Konstantinou said. It is designed for people who do not know exactly where they are or cannot speak to explain what is happening to them.
How it works
Users of the free app will register in advance by filling in a simple form with their details. In an emergency, activating a request on their phone will send both their details and their location to the control centre, so call handlers will know where the incident is without the caller having to give directions.
With an internet connection, users will also be able to exchange text messages with the control centre and send photos that may help staff understand the situation, Konstantinou said. They will receive updates on their request and be able to see the location of the ambulance heading towards them. Without an internet connection, they will be able to communicate by SMS.
Call handlers will receive requests through a web application that shows the caller’s location on a map. They will be able to communicate with the caller and send the information electronically to the ambulance crew’s tablet, giving the crew details of the incident and where to go.
Help for deaf people
Konstantinou said the app’s main benefit was that it would let people ask for help for whom “a simple phone call is not always possible”. She said it aimed to add another tool for contacting the Ambulance Service and to pass on information about emergencies faster and more accurately.
Being able to communicate without speaking is particularly important for deaf and hard-of-hearing people and for people with speech difficulties. In December 2024, representatives of the Pancyprian Organisation of the Deaf told the House Health Committee they faced serious difficulties in reaching emergency services. As Phileleftheros reported at the time, they described how hard it was for a deaf person alone at home to call an ambulance, the police or the fire service, and asked for an app that would let them contact emergency services without a phone call.
The new app seeks to meet that need, at least as far as the Ambulance Service is concerned.
New National Ambulance Organisation
The pilot comes at a time of major change in pre-hospital care in Cyprus. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides has told parliament that the National Ambulance Organisation is due to start operating on 1 January 2027, with a budget of 19.75 million euros and a further three million euros to buy new ambulances and equipment.
The transition still faces organisational and legislative issues, including arrangements to second more than 80 SHSO staff to the new organisation.
The system also includes tools to record the Ambulance Service’s operations, including response times, ambulance routes and the distance from the person needing help, which can be used to assess the service and improve planning.
