Medical emergencies in Switzerland

Depending on the seriousness of your emergency, there are several different options open to you in Switzerland if you are involved in a medical emergency.

What to do in case of a medical emergency

In the case of a serious medical emergency, phone 144 for an ambulance. You should call 144 if it is a sudden and serious health situation that requires immediate assistance. 

In the case of poisonings, you should call 145, and for air rescue you should call 1414. 

You can also attend the emergency room of your local hospital, if you can make your own way there. 

If you require medical care that is not urgent, it is recommended to consult your regular doctor or general practitioner first. This is because calling an ambulance can be an expensive business in Switzerland. 

Ambulances in Switzerland

Ambulance services in Switzerland are quick to respond and highly qualified. However, the way they are paid for might come as a surprise to you, depending on how things work in your home country. 

In Switzerland, your health insurance might not always cover the full cost of calling out an ambulance. For this reason, many people prefer to make their own way to the hospital, if they can. 

Cost of calling an ambulance

The cost of an ambulance call-out varies significantly across the different Swiss cantons, but is usually somewhere between 700 and 2.100 CHF, according to Comparis.

Does my health insurance cover ambulance call-outs?

Who exactly pays for the ambulance call-out is a little bit complicated. The determining factor is whether the call-out was required because of an accident or an illness. 

Ambulance call-outs for accidents

If the ambulance call-out is because of an accident, the cost is usually covered by your accident insurance, if you have it. 

Ambulance call-outs for illnesses

If the ambulance was called because you suffered an illness, then the cost is passed on to you and your health insurance. 

If you have basic health insurance, you might not be totally covered. Most commonly, your insurer will only cover 50% of the call-out cost, and then only up to a maximum of 500 CHF per year. However, this limit does increase to 5.000 CHF in the case of life-threatening situations. 

On the other hand, if the call-out wasn’t deemed medically necessary (for instance if you could have made it to hospital by public transport or by car), your insurance will not normally cover the cost. 

For this reason, many people choose to take out supplemental health insurance that covers the entirety of ambulance costs. 

Out-of-hours medical care 

If you require medical assistance out-of-hours - for instance if you are unwell, but do not need urgent medical care, you should try calling your regular doctor in the first instance. If they are unavailable, they will usually be able to direct you towards an on-call doctor. 

Centralised emergency numbers

In most cantons, there is a centralised emergency number that you can call if you need a doctor: 

• Zurich: +41 44 421 21 21
• Bern: +41 31 638 99 00
• Vaud: 0848 133 133
• Basel-Stadt: +41 61 261 15 15
• Lucerne: +41 900 11 14 14
• St. Gallen: 0900 144 144
• Zug: 0900 008 008

After-hours clinics

You can also go directly to an after-hours doctor. They will be able to diagnose your illness and provide prescriptions to be filled at an emergency pharmacy. These services can be paid for directly, and might also be covered by your health insurance. 

Some of the most commonly-used after-hours GP services are:

• MyPermanence 
• SOS AERZTE
• Medbase
• Arzthaus
• santé24 (by SWICA)

Emergency pharmacies

Each canton has its own emergency pharmacy. These pharmacies are open 24 hours a day throughout the year, including on holidays. 

You can find your closest emergency pharmacy by calling 1818. 

Medical emergencies when abroad

If you live in Switzerland and suffer a medical emergency abroad, you are able to use your health insurance to cover the costs. If you suffer an illness while on holiday, your health insurance will pay for your medical care. Basic health insurance will cover up to the amount it would have cost to receive the treatment in Switzerland. Supplemental insurance will cover the costs several times over.

If you suffer an accident or medical emergency when working, you are entitled to be covered by accident and occupational diseases insurance. If you were injured in a country that does not have an effective healthcare system, you are able to access extradition flights that will return you to Switzerland for treatment.

Helicopter evacuations through Rega Swiss Air-Rescue

If you plan to go hiking or skiing in the Swiss mountains, it’s a good idea to know how to contact Swiss helicopter rescue or Rega Swiss Air-Rescue. These helicopters specialise in evacuating patients from hard-to-access places like ski resorts or mountain tops to hospitals in Swiss cities.

Rega Swiss Air-Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation that relies on insurance payments and patron support. Before you go skiing or snowboarding, make sure to check whether your insurance package covers Rega, and if you are not covered, consider becoming a patron of Rega through their official website.