Ralmed runs a private ambulance service across Gauteng from Sandton, with basic, intermediate and advanced paramedics and a doctor on board where needed.
At a glance
The service
A private ambulance is an ambulance run by a private company rather than the state. It is sent by that company's own control room when you call its number.
Ralmed's crews work from 89 Impala Road, Kelvin View, Sandton. From there they cover every region of Gauteng, day and night, through one number: 086 1725 633.
The public ambulance service answers 10177. A private service answers its own line instead, and the patient or their medical aid usually pays for the call. Many families keep both numbers, because each has its place.
When to call
Most calls are emergencies. Even so, a good share of our work is booked ahead, for patients who need care on the move.
Illness or injury at home, at work or on the road, when the patient cannot travel safely by car.
Moving a patient to another hospital for specialist care, with the crew level set by the patient's needs.
A planned discharge from hospital, or a move to a care facility, for a patient who needs to lie flat.
An ambulance and crew at an event, a mine or a plant, in case someone falls ill or is hurt.
Crew levels
Our control room matches the crew to the call. There are four levels, and each one can do more than the one before it.
| Crew level | Who is on board | Typical calls |
|---|---|---|
| Basic life support | First aiders and basic ambulance assistants | Stable patients, planned moves and standby cover |
| Intermediate life support | Intermediate paramedics, with a wider range of drugs and airway skills | Patients whose illness or injury is getting worse |
| Advanced life support | Advanced paramedics | Cardiac arrest, major trauma and other critical cases |
| Doctor on board | A doctor travelling in the ambulance with the crew | The most serious transfers and retrievals |
Paramedics in South Africa must be registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, at the level they are qualified for.
How it works
01
Call 086 1725 633. Our control room in Kelvin View answers at any hour.
02
Where the patient is, what happened and whether they are breathing and awake.
03
Basic, intermediate or advanced paramedics, or a doctor, depending on your answers.
04
The crew treats the patient and hands over to the hospital team on arrival.
Save the private ambulance number before you need it: 086 1725 633.
One number for Gauteng. The same line covers Johannesburg, Pretoria, the East Rand and the West Rand, at any hour.
The crew your call needs. The control room sends the level of care the patient needs, up to a doctor on board.
Your choice of hospital. Where it is clinically safe, the crew takes the patient to the private hospital you ask for.
More than emergencies. Book transfers, discharges and standby cover through the same team.
Cost
The cost of a private ambulance depends on the crew level, the distance and any treatment given on the way.
These are the main things that change the price:
Most medical aid schemes cover emergency ambulance transport. [INSERT: how Ralmed bills medical aid and private patients]
Your options
Both services send trained crews. The differences are in who runs them, who pays and where the patient goes.
| Question | Ralmed private ambulance | Public ambulance |
|---|---|---|
| Number to call | 086 1725 633 | 10177, or 112 from a mobile |
| Who runs it | Ralmed, from Sandton | The provincial health department |
| Where the patient goes | The hospital you ask for, where clinically safe | Usually a public hospital |
| Who pays | The patient or their medical aid | The state |
| Booked transfers and standby | Yes, by arrangement | Mainly emergencies |
A private ambulance suits you if you have medical aid and want a say in the hospital. The public service is there for everyone, whatever their cover.
Get in touch
Call for emergencies. For bookings and questions, WhatsApp or email works well too.
Our base
89 Impala Road, Kelvin View, Sandton
Crews cover all of Gauteng from here.
Questions
Call 086 1725 633 for a Ralmed ambulance anywhere in Gauteng, at any hour. A person answers in our Sandton control room, asks where the patient is and what has happened, and sends the crew the call needs. Save the number in your phone now, so it is there when you need it.
If you are in Gauteng, yes. Our crews cover every region of the province from our base at 89 Impala Road, Kelvin View, Sandton, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Midrand and the East and West Rand. Outside Gauteng, call the public service on 10177, or 112 from a mobile phone.
Anyone can. You do not need a membership or a contract with Ralmed to call us. Families, employers, schools, estates, doctors and hospitals all call our control room. For planned work, such as a discharge home or standby at an event, it helps to book ahead.
Most medical aid schemes cover emergency ambulance transport, and some cover planned transfers when they are authorised first. The rules depend on your scheme and your plan, so check your benefits when you can. We give you the documents your scheme needs to process the claim.
Where it is clinically safe, yes. The crew takes the patient to the private hospital you ask for, as long as it can treat what the patient needs. If the patient needs a specialist unit, or is too unwell for a longer journey, the crew goes to the nearest suitable hospital.
10177 is the national number for the public ambulance service, run by the provincial health department. A private service such as Ralmed runs on its own number and is usually paid for by the patient or their medical aid. You can choose which one to call.
When the case calls for it, yes. Most calls are handled by basic, intermediate or advanced paramedics. For the most serious transfers and retrievals, a doctor travels in the ambulance with the crew. The control room decides the crew level from what you tell us on the phone.
Yes. We book planned transfers such as a discharge home, a move to a care facility or a trip to treatment and back. Call or send a WhatsApp with the date, the pick-up, the destination and the patient's needs, and we arrange the crew level to match.
Yes. We plan standby ambulances and medical teams for events from a risk assessment done to South African law. We can also station a crew and an ambulance at a mine, plant or project site in Gauteng. Ask us for a quote by phone, WhatsApp or email.
Give the address with the suburb and a landmark, say what happened and when, and tell us whether the patient is breathing and awake. Add your name and a number we can reach you on. Keep your phone free afterwards, because the crew may call you.
Related services
See how our ambulance number compares with the public lines, or book a patient transfer between hospitals. For events and industrial sites, see event medical cover and our remote ambulance stations. Every area we serve is listed on Areas We Cover.
One number reaches our control room from anywhere in Gauteng, day and night. Save it in your phone and share it with your household. When you need a private ambulance, call 086 1725 633.
Head office based in Sandton, Johannesburg, Ralmed established in 2013, specializes in comprehensive medical and occupational health services in South Africa, dedicated to compassionate, cost-effective care. Call Ralmed Emergency Medical Services today.