If you just moved to Switzerland (or even if you have lived here for a while), your learning curve about health-related matters in the country may be steep. These sites will help you find the information you need.
Staying healthy is probably one of your top priorities, but doing so in a foreign country is not easy.
That is why having some reliable resources that you can check out and follow will be helpful.
First: The Local
No, we are not doctors, but we have published a number of factual articles over the years about many aspects of healthcare in Switzerland that our readers find helpful.
You can find a compilation of these health-related stories here.
Federal Office of Public Health
Obviously, when it comes to matters of health, the Health Ministry has lots of information that will be relevant to you at one time or another.
Aside from matters of health policy (which is important for all residents of Switzerland), the site also has a regularly updated Infectious Diseases Dashboard to let you know what communicable illnesses are currently circulating in Switzerland — and how to avoid them.
It also provides age-specific health information and recommendations — for instance, for children and teenagers, as well as for the elderly.
Hospital websites
Individual hospitals in your area are good sources of information as well, and many of them are in English.
You can find there general health information, care and treatment options, online emergency room signup, new medical technologies being used, and other patient resources:
Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)
Vaud University Hospital (CHUV)
If you live in an area without a university medical centre, your local hospital is also a valuable source of health-related information.
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Appointment booking platform
This website is especially useful for people who don’t yet have a doctor in Switzerland but need to set an appointment with one.
It gives you an option of choosing a specialty and location, and then displays doctor’s names and addresses, background information about them, and which time slots they have available.
You can easily set up an appointment this way.
Your health insurer’s website
This may not be an intuitive choice for impartial information about healthcare but you may be surprised.
For instance, Sanitas insurance site has information about emergency care decisions, and how to void unnecessary medical treatments.
CSS has health information geared specifically to men and women.
Helsana talks about ways to combat stress and sleep problems.
These are just a few examples on what valuable tips you can find on your insurer’s website.
Websites devoted to specific medical conditions
If you seek information about a specific illness — such as treatment options in Switzerland — there are plenty of online resources for that as well.
For instance:
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Last but not least, while not related to health, these websites will also provide useful information for international residents:
The Swiss websites that can help you save money
The most useful website resources to help you get Swiss citizenship
