As you’re playing Cities: Skylines 2 and your city is still young, you might grow concerned by the icons showing ‘Waiting for Ambulance’ not going away. There are a number of factors to consider here, and you’ll want to consider cost as you’re growing your city.
You never want your citizens to wait too long for healthcare to reach them, but the answers are pretty clear what you must do if they don’t have that as an efficient service. Here are some tips we can offer you as you build your city!
Cities: Skylines 2 Healthcare Guide — Waiting for Ambulance
Your most obvious answer most of the time when you see the ‘Waiting for Ambulance’ icon in Cities: Skylines 2 is to wait: an ambulance is likely dispatched. But if the icon says they’ve been waiting a while, consider more clinics or hospitals in your area. Build multiple small clinics in the center of your largest areas first, with roads leading outwards to get to the farthest reaches of town.
Related: How to Fix ‘Not Enough Customers’ for Commercial Zones in Cities: Skylines 2
Even as you unlock Hospitals, you’ll find they cost enormous amounts of money to build and cost 7 times the basic upkeep of a Clinic, as they’re meant for more fully-grown cities. Try any of the following suggestions as well:
- Zoom out from the affected area: if the icon says they’ve been waiting a while, chances are this is in one of the remote areas of your city, so build a clinic in a central area nearby
- When you’re able to keep up with the costs of services, upgrade your Clinic’s ambulance depot, this keeps your citizens happy and healthy
- When placing Clinics, check their network color (the streets connecting affected areas) — if it’s red, place one in the area
- Another thing to consider: make sufficient roads leading in and out of remote areas to dictate better flow; this can also affect the ‘Waiting for Hearse’ icon that’ll show up
Generally, the ambulances can arrive as timely as any other critical rescue service like firefighters and police, and people will notice and talk about it on Chirper if there’s not enough. Healthcare is vital, and while it’s an expensive service, it’s likely the most common one alongside electricity and water you’ll want to watch.
- This article was updated on October 26th, 2023
About The Author
