SAMU (Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence, "Emergency Medical Assistance Service") is the French hospital based emergency medical service. It was founded in 1968 by coordinating the existing SMUR teams (prehospital care units).

The name SAMU is also used by several French-speaking countries as well as Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, it then standing for Sistemas de Atencion Médica de Urgencias y Emergencias (sometimes SAME) and Portuguese-speaking ones such as Brazil, where it stands for Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência (Emergency Mobile Attention Service).

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