One way to reduce the cost of compulsory Swiss health insurance is to choose a high deductible. Currently, some people do this and then postpone treatment until they’ve switched to a lower deductible the following year. Recently, Switzerland’s parliament voted 113 against 60 in favour of locking in deductibles for three years to reduce this […]
Famous Swiss vegetarian restaurant opens in Lausanne train station
On 7 December 2018, the restaurant chain Tibits, which has eight restaurants in German-speaking Switzerland, and one in London, opens its first restaurant west of the rösti graben*, in French-speaking Switzerland. Ahead of the launch of their first restaurant in 2000, three Swiss brothers, Christian, Daniel and Reto Frei, who had dreamt of creating quality […]
Men in Switzerland 27% more likely to die from cancer than women
Statistics released this week show that cancer death rates in Switzerland are far higher for men than women. The data covering the period from 2011 to 2015 show men are 29% more likely to suffer from cancer and 27% more likely to die from it. Cancer is Switzerland’s second biggest killer after heart disease. The […]
Geneva decides to ban the most polluting vehicles
On Friday, Geneva’s parliament voted in favour of a plan to progressively ban the most polluting vehicles from the city centre when air pollution reaches certain levels. While the legal details need to be worked out, the plan, which was put together by the canton’s executive, could be modeled on the French system. The French […]
Smoking soon to be banned on Swiss train platforms
Today, Switzerland’s public transport union (UTP) announced it would ban smoking on train platforms from 1 June 2019. From this date, smoking will only be allowed in designated smoking areas. The UTP hopes the ban will improve the comfort of passengers, reduce cleaning costs and better cater for both non-smokers and smokers. In Switzerland, platform […]
Switzerland launches new campaign against antibiotic abuse
Overuse of antibiotics, particularly in agriculture, is a key driver of antibiotic resistant bugs. Antibiotic resistant super bugs claim an estimated 25,000 lives across the EU every year. In Switzerland 270 people died from antibiotic resistant bugs in 2015. The main causes of antibiotic resistance are: over-prescribing, patients not taking antibiotics as prescribed, poor hygiene […]
More than one million people exposed to traffic noise pollution in Switzerland
A recent report by Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) estimates that more than one million people in Switzerland are exposed to traffic noise above the legal limit. The data, from 2015, was generated by software, traffic noise data and building maps. During the day, 1.1 million people are bothered by noise, a figure […]
More drugs will soon be available without a prescription in Switzerland
The range of drugs available without a prescription in Switzerland will be extended from 2019. Some drugs in category B will become available without a prescription in certain circumstances – a drug’s category is shown by a Swissmedic logo on the packet. The logos can be seen here and a drug’s category can be searched […]
Flu vaccination season begins in Switzerland
Every year, Switzerland has a nationwide flu vaccination programme ahead of the winter season. The best time to get vaccinated is between mid-March and mid-November. The vaccination programme started on 23 October and will run until 9 November 2018. This year is the first with vaccinations offered simultaneously in doctor’s surgeries and pharmacies. Last flu […]
Cost of Swiss healthcare second highest in the world and rising
Swiss healthcare costs of 12.2% of GDP are the world’s second highest after the United States where healthcare consumes 17.1% of GDP, according to 2016 figures presented by the Federal Statistical Office on 18 October 2018. Switzerland spent CHF 80.5 billion on healthcare in 2016, the latest figures reveal. This comes out at around CHF […]
