A tap on the mobile phone will be enough for someone to ask for an ambulance, even if they do not know exactly where they are or cannot talk to explain what is happening to them.
The new SOS Emergency Services application, which is already operating on a pilot basis, aspires to change the way citizens communicate with the Ambulance Service by sending their geographical location directly to the Coordination Center and enabling them to communicate in writing.
A particularly important possibility for people with hearing loss, who just two years ago complained to Parliament that, in an emergency, they had no way to call for help when they were alone.
As the head of the Ambulance Service, Riana Konstantinou, explained to "F", the application is expected to be made available to citizens at the beginning of 2027, in parallel with the planned launch of the National Ambulance Agency.
Help will know where you are
The new application, according to Ms. Konstantinou, was developed with the aim of facilitating the communication of citizens with the Ambulance Service and, above all, allowing the immediate location of the person in need of help.
This is a possibility that becomes particularly important when the incident occurs in an unknown area or in a place that the citizen finds difficult to describe.
Through the free SOS Cyprus application, citizens will be able to register in advance by filling out a simple form with their details.
In case of urgent need, it will be sufficient to activate the relevant request from the mobile phone, so that both the user's details and his geographical location are transmitted to the coordination center.
In this way, the first responders, in the coordination center, will be able to know where the incident is, without the need for the citizen to give detailed instructions about the area or where it is.
Messages, photos and ambulance tracking
The head of the Ambulance Service stated that the design of the application is not limited to sending the location, but, as she said, when there is an internet connection, it is possible to exchange text messages with the Coordination Center, but also to send photos that may help to better understand the incident.
At the same time, the user will be able to receive updates on the progress of his request and see the position of the ambulance heading to him.
Provision also exists for cases in which the citizen does not have an internet connection. According to the plan, communication will be able to take place via SMS text messages.
From the mobile phone to the ambulance crew
Ms. Konstantinou also described how the information sent through the application will be used.
The operators of the coordination center will receive the requests through a special online application, in which the location of the citizen will be displayed on a map.
They will be able to communicate with him and electronically transmit the information to the ambulance crew via tablet.
This will allow the crew to obtain information about the incident and the location to which they need to go.
The system also includes tools for recording the operational activity of the Ambulance Service.
Among the elements that can be monitored are: Response times, ambulance routes and distance from the person in need of help.
Of course, this information can also be used for the evaluation of the operation of the Service and the better operational planning.
In the context of the new National Agency
The pilot operation of the application takes place at a time of significant changes in the field of pre-hospital care in Cyprus.
As announced in Parliament by the Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambidis, the National Ambulance Agency is scheduled to start operating on January 1, 2027, with a budget of €19.75 million and an additional €3 million for the purchase of new ambulances and equipment.
The transition to the new regime is accompanied by organizational and legislative pending issues, including the regulation for the secondment of more than 80 OKYPY employees.
The SOS Emergency Services application is expected to be made available to citizens at the beginning of the new year, in parallel with the planned launch of the Agency.
Its utilization, according to Ms. Konstantinou, "aspires to add another tool to the communication of citizens with the Ambulance Service, with the aim of faster and more accurate transmission of information on emergencies".
"Most of all, however, it creates the possibility for people for whom a simple phone call is not always possible to ask for help."
Two years after the complaints in Parliament
The ability to communicate without oral conversation is of particular importance for deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as for citizens who have speech difficulties.
The issue had emerged in a particularly strong way in December 2024, when representatives of the Pancyprian Organization of the Deaf had denounced before the parliamentary committee on Health the serious difficulties they were facing in accessing emergency services.
As "F" had recorded at the time, the representatives of deaf people had described the difficulties faced by a person with hearing loss when he was alone at home and needed to call an ambulance, the Police or the Fire Brigade.
They had, in fact, requested the creation of an electronic application that would allow them to contact the emergency services without the need for a telephone conversation.
"The SOS Emergency Services application is now attempting to address this need, at least in terms of communicating with the Ambulance Service."
Its importance, however, is not limited to people with hearing loss. It concerns any citizen who may find himself in an emergency situation, without being able to describe where he is or easily contact the Coordination Center.
