The state medical system is plagued by poor service, low hygiene standards, and a lack of medicines and basic medical equipment. If you're ill, contact one of several Western clinics, which are used by the foreign community as well as Russians who can afford the higher fees. Some of these clinics are membership organizations, but all will provide service to tourists, though perhaps not with 24-hour access; costs will be higher than for members, too. Usually you must pay with rubles or a credit card, and you'll need to settle accounts up front.

In an emergency, you can also contact your country's consular section for help with the logistics of serious medical treatment. For U.S. citizens, contact American Citizens Services. British citizens can call their embassy, or during workdays get a referral from the embassy clinic. Canadian citizens should call the embassy number, where they will be connected to a duty officer.

Emergency Services

Ambulance (03). American Citizens Services (495/728-5577 after-hours emergency). British Embassy clinic (495/956-7270). Fire (01). Police (02).

Dentists

Russian state dental facilities are as grim as their medical facilities. Of the general service clinics, the American Medical Center, European Medical Centre, International SOS Clinic, and Mediclub Moscow also provide dental services. The German Dental Clinic is open weekdays 9-9 and Saturday 9-3. U.S. Dental Care is a joint Russian-U.S. clinic offering all types of dental treatment. The clinic is open weekdays 9-9 and Saturday 9-3, and has after-hours emergency care.

Contact

German Dental Clinic (2 Volochayevskaya ul., Bldg. 1, Western Outskirts. 495/362-4902. Metro: Ploshchad Ilycha). U.S. Dental Care (7/5 Bolshaya Dmitrovka. 495/933-8686. Metro: Pushkinskaya).

Hospitals & Clinics

The American Medical Center offers full-range family practice and emergency services, including evacuation assistance. If treatment is needed outside the clinic, they use various hospitals. The office is open 24 hours, and doctors make house calls 24 hours a day. Medicine can be provided at the clinic. A tourist plan is available.

The European Medical Centre, which is not a membership group, offers a full range of services, including day and night house calls. Hospital referral is usually to the ZKB Presidential Hospital. English and French are spoken. Medicine can be provided at the clinic.

International SOS Clinic is a nonmember service that provides comprehensive care, hospitalization referral to the Kuntsevo (Kremlin VIP) Hospital, and evacuation via an in-house company (they are part of SOS International). English, French, and German are spoken, and there's a pharmacy on-site.

Mediclub Moscow is a Russian clinic that provides full medical service and hospital referral to Glavmosstroy Hospital. It's open weekdays 9-4, with last appointments at 3; you may call after hours for an emergency.

An English-language Alcoholics Anonymous meets six evenings a week at various locations. Check the Moscow Times community bulletin board listings, published Tuesdays.

Clinics

American Medical Center (1 Grokholsky per., Northern Outskirts. 495/933-7700. Metro: Prospekt Mira). European Medical Centre (5 Spiridonevsky per., Bldg. 1. 495/933-6655. Metro: Mayakovskaya or Pushkinskaya). International SOS Clinic (31 Grokholsky per., 10th fl., Northern Outskirts. 495/937-5760. Metro: Prospekt Mira). Mediclub Moscow (56 Michurinsky pr., Southern Outskirts. 495/931-5018 or 495/931-5318. Metro: Prospekt Vernadskovo).

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are plentiful, and many stay open around the clock in the city center. One highly rated pharmacy is 36.6, which has many branches, including one in Central Telegraph (at 7 Tverskaya ulitsa) and a 24-hour branch near the Pushkin metro. Western-brand medicines may not be recognizable to you in their Russian packaging; however, you often can buy medicine over the counter that requires a prescription in the United States. For prescriptions, you can contact one of the foreign clinics' pharmacies, though prices will be high. Some hotels also have small pharmacies.