Hospital Emergency Departments

When to go directly to a hospital ED

Call 144 (ambulance) or go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department for:

• Chest pain — especially if radiating to the arm or jaw, accompanied by sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath
• Signs of stroke — face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, sudden severe headache ("thunderclap")
• Difficulty breathing — severe asthma attack, anaphylaxis, suspected pulmonary embolism
• Loss of consciousness or altered mental state
• Severe bleeding that cannot be controlled
• Serious trauma — car accident, fall from height, crush injury
• Suspected broken bones involving the spine, pelvis, or with significant displacement
• Severe abdominal pain — especially if sudden onset or with rigidity
• High fever with stiff neck — possible meningitis (call 144 immediately)
• Overdose or poisoning
• Psychiatric emergency — immediate risk to self or others

The triage system

Swiss hospital EDs use a triage system to prioritise patients by urgency — not by arrival order. A triage nurse assesses you on arrival and assigns a priority level. Life-threatening conditions are seen immediately; lower-urgency conditions wait. This means:

• A patient with a suspected heart attack is seen before someone who arrived three hours earlier with a sprained ankle
• If you come to the ED with a minor complaint, you will wait — potentially for 2–5 hours or more during busy periods
• Your condition may be re-evaluated during the wait — if it worsens, you move up in priority

The triage nurse's assessment is not a diagnosis. They are assessing urgency, not examining you fully. Be clear and specific about your symptoms — this affects your priority level.

Emergency numbers in Switzerland

• 144 — Ambulance (Rettungsdienst). 24/7, free to call.
• 117 — Police
• 118 — Fire brigade
• 1414 — REGA (Swiss Air Rescue) — for mountain and air rescue. REGA membership (CHF 30/year) covers helicopter rescue costs.
• 143 — Die Dargebotene Hand (Tel 143) — telephone emotional support / mental health crisis line
• 147 — Youth crisis line (Pro Juventute)
• 112 — European emergency number, works in Switzerland to reach ambulance/police/fire

Costs at a hospital ED

Hospital emergency department visits are more expensive than walk-in clinics or GP visits. The exact cost depends on:

• Whether you are admitted (stationary) or discharged the same day (ambulant)
• What investigations and treatments are performed
• Your franchise and Selbstbehalt status for the year

An ambulant ED visit (you come in, are assessed, and go home) costs CHF 300–800+ depending on what is done. If you are admitted, SwissDRG rates apply and the cost rises significantly — but so does the coverage.

If you were transported by ambulance, the ambulance cost (CHF 500 patient contribution per ride) is additional. Once inside the ED, all medically necessary treatment is covered by KVG subject to your franchise and Selbstbehalt.

After the ED visit

If you were discharged from the ED without admission, you will receive invoices in the following weeks — from the hospital for the ED visit itself, and potentially separately from any specialists (e.g. a cardiologist or radiologist) who were consulted. Submit these to your insurer as normal.

If you were admitted, your GP should receive a discharge letter (Austrittsbericht) from the hospital when you are released. Follow up with your GP within 1–2 weeks of discharge for any ongoing management.