Generally speaking, all medical facilities in Switzerland provide excellent emergency and follow-up care. But when it comes to specialised treatments, patients will benefit more from some hospitals than others.
There are more than 280 hospitals throughout Switzerland and this article explains differences between them:
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about hospital care in Switzerland
As a rule, when it comes to advanced and focused interventions for specific conditions, university hospitals have more expertise – that is, specialised medical personnel and equipment – than ‘regular’ cantonal and district hospitals.
Which Swiss hospitals have that distinction?
According to the “World’s Best Specialised Hospitals 2026” ranking carried out by Newsweek magazine in the US and the market research company Statista. several medical centres “were recognised as the best in their field in Switzerland: Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Neurosurgery and Oncology.”
They include all five university hospitals – in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.
Not all of these heath facilities specialise in all fields, however; for instance, as the story of the tragic New Year’s fire at a bar in Crans-Montana indicated, only two hospitals in Switzerland have the capacity to treat severe burns: the university hospital in Zurich as well as the one in Lausanne – Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV).
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The best of the best
Let’s look at what each of the ‘winning’ hospitals specialises in:
University Hospital of Zurich (UHZ)
A leading centre for cutting-edge medicine and a major hub for medical research, the UHZ excels in specialised, complex treatments in fields like oncology, cardiology, and transplant medicine – in addition to its burn unit.
Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV)
Aside from treating severe burn injuries, CHUV also has expertise in neurosciences, oncology, and transplant surgery.
Its collaboration with the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) also fuels groundbreaking medical research and innovation.
University Hospital Basel (Universitätsspital Basel)
This medical centre is particularly ‘strong’ in oncology and cardiology.
Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)
HUG is particularly noted for its expertise in emergency services, maternity care, and geriatric medicine.
University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital)
The hospital is a leading heart and vascular centre.
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Public vs. private
All these hospitals are public, funded mostly by their cantons – that is, taxpayers.
A number of private clinics throughout Switzerland also offer specialised treatments and surgeries.
What is the difference?
Treatment in public hospitals will be covered by your basic KVG/LaMal health insurance. For private clinics, on the other hand, you need a complementary policy.
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Do you need a referral to any of the specialised units at a university hospital?
That depends on the kind of insurance you have.
If you have no limits imposed, then yes. But if you chose a cheaper’ plan – for instance the ‘family doctor’ model – then you will need a referral from your GP.
Also, keep in mind that you can only be treated (both outpatient and in-hospital) in the canton where you live.
The reason is that each canton sets its own healthcare premiums, some of which are higher than others, so if you live in a ‘cheaper’ canton and want to be treated in a more expensive one, your insurance carrier may not like it.
However, this rule applies only to non-urgent situations; emergency cases are treated differently.
“In an emergency, you can go to any hospital in Switzerland,” according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
It added, however, that it must be an authorised public health facility, rather than a private clinic.
FOPH also allows out-of-canton treatment for “particular medical reasons” — that is, if the required care can’t be provided at a public hospital in your canton of residence.
