With health insurance premiums rising for the third consecutive year, Swiss voters are showing renewed interest in an old idea: replacing the country’s many competing health insurers with a single public insurer. According to a recent survey by GFS Bern, 53% of respondents support such a plan. Right now, any idea that promises to cut […]
Swiss Citizens’ Assembly backs sugar tax in health push
The Citizens’ Assembly, a group of citizens chosen at random to discuss and find common ground on contentious issues, has backed a proposal to introduce a tax on sugary foods and drinks as part of a broader push to improve public health in Switzerland. The measure is one of six reforms endorsed by the 100-member […]
Study shows link between education and Swiss oral health
Despite widespread access to dental services, pronounced disparities in oral health persist in Switzerland. These differences extend beyond hygiene habits and dental outcomes to the actual use of services, according to a recent study by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In 2022, over 70% of respondents rated the condition of their teeth and gums as […]
Experts call for tourist tick warnings in Switzerland as they are found at increasingly higher altitudes
While tick-borne diseases creep higher into the Swiss Alps, calls for tourist warnings are dismissed by tourism authorities, reports SRF. Ticks are on the move and are now found even above 2,000 metres, a threshold once believed to be tick-free. With the entire country, barring Ticino, now designated a risk zone for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), […]
Medical association raises alarm about the number of foreign doctors in Switzerland
The number of medical professionals in Switzerland rose by 3.7% in 2024. However, the proportion of foreign doctors working in the country continues to increase, reaching 41.3% of all doctors in 2024. Relying so heavily on foreign medical professionals is risky, according to a representative of a medical association who spoke to SRF. In 2003, […]
Swiss tick-borne disease season starts early in 2025
Switzerland has experienced a particularly mild winter, with temperatures frequently 2 degrees above long term averages. This has brought forward the tick season. Already, 6 cases of tick-borne encephalitis have been reported by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). This number of infections by this point of the year has not been seen for […]
Car tire residue found in vegetables sold in Switzerland
A study yet to be published by Switzerland’s Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO) found traces of car tire pollution in vegetables grown and sold in Switzerland, reported SRF. The study found chemical additives used in tire production in one third of the vegetables tested. Researchers at EPFL in Lausanne tested around […]
Catching ski pass cheats – reactions, fines and worse
In the very early days of skiing, checking whether skiers had valid ski passes was hit and miss. However, today, with modern technology it has become easy. According to a report by SRF, the ski resort of Verbier catches an average of three to four people a day passing through the turnstiles with a ‘borrowed’ […]
Most honey tested in Switzerland adulterated shows test
An analysis of 20 brands of honey sold in Switzerland found 17 were adulterated. The testing, run by SRF, involved looking at the DNA present in the products. It looked at the types of DNA present and absent in the samples, which were taken mainly from low-priced imported products. The tests, which involve identifying more […]
Recreational cannabis use could soon be legalised in Switzerland
Switzerland could be a step closer to legalising cannabis for non-medical use after a parliamentary health commission voted 14 versus 9 in favour of a draft bill on the subject, reported RTS. Currently, the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis for non-medical use is a fineable offence in Switzerland. Since 2023, there have been short […]
