Swiss Post to scrap electronic patient record service for 70.000 users

Swiss Post will terminate its electronic patient record service, leaving roughly 70.000 users to decide what happens to their personal medical data. The company decided to pull the plug on the platform after the Federal Council announced plans to introduce an official state-run health dossier, triggering a collapse in demand for private alternatives.

Federal shift prompts Swiss Post exit, but notices trigger scam alarm

Post Sanela Health AG, a subsidiary of Swiss Post, will officially shut down its electronic patient dossier (EPD) at the end of December 2026. Users have until November 30, 2026, to decide what to do with their data. The decision follows a policy shift by the Federal Council to develop a centralised, state-run digital health record.

"Following the Federal Council's decision to realign the electronic patient record, demand for our service collapsed," Swiss Post spokesperson Patrick Stöpper told public broadcaster SRF. "We examined various options and decided to discontinue the service in this format, but we want to offer our users an orderly conclusion and handover."

To manage the handover, the company began contacting its 70.000 registered users in the first of three planned notification waves. However, the initial rollout caused widespread confusion. The notification emails contained unfamiliar web addresses that closely resembled phishing attempts, leading many recipients to flag them as scams.

Stöpper admitted that the communication caused unnecessary alarm. "It initially looked a bit like an external address," he said, confirming that the company updated the web links in follow-up emails. "Now it is closer to [looking like] Swiss Post, or rather Sanela."

3 options for Swiss patients before November 30

Users have until November 30 to decide what happens to their medical files, with Swiss Post outlining three distinct paths:

• The first option allows individuals to transfer their dossier to Cara, an alternative certified provider. Once an account holder grants consent, the data transfer will run automatically after the end-of-November deadline.
• The second option allows users to move their records into the "Health Folder" feature inside the official Swiss Post smartphone app. Account access requires a verified SwissID login, which the postal service notes complies with international information security standards.
• Alternatively, users can download all medical documents directly onto a personal computer. Stöpper warned that this shifts full data protection responsibility onto the individual. "I would certainly not do this on public Wi-Fi, but rather on a secure network at home," he cautioned, adding that device security is entirely up to the user once files leave the platform.

Swiss Post is coordinating with regulatory authorities and external partners to establish legally compliant solutions for users who do not respond to any of the notification emails.

Affected individuals can contact the dedicated Sanela support line at 0800 55 88 02 or by email at [email protected].