Which Number Do I Call? A Newcomer's Guide to Swiss Medical Emergencies, Telemedicine & Pharmacies

Memorise the first one; screenshot the rest:

Two practical notes. First, you can call 112 and 144 from a locked phone and without a SIM — and roaming phones work too. Second, Rega's app (or the SwissMap app) transmits your GPS coordinates automatically when you call 1414 through it — install it before your first hike, not during your first emergency.

Most "urgent" situations for healthy adults are not emergencies — they are access problems. Switzerland has four cheaper, faster doors:

1. Telemedicine first — if your insurance model says so. On a Telmed or HMO model (Medgate, Medi24, Medbase and similar), you are usually contractually required to call the telemedicine line before any non-emergency consultation. It is not gatekeeping for its own sake: the model discounts your premium precisely because telemedicine filters cases. Skip the call and the insurer can refuse to reimburse the visit. In a genuine emergency, this rule never applies — go or call 144.
2. Cantonal medical on-call service (Ärztefon). Nights and weekends, each canton runs a doctor-on-call line that tells you whether to wait, visit a Permanence, or get seen at home. Search "Ärztefon" or "Notfalldienst" plus your canton and save the number.
3. Walk-in Permanence clinics. Larger towns have Permanence centres — walk-in, no appointment, no registered GP needed, evenings and weekends. They handle the classic expat gap: sick on a Saturday, no family doctor yet.
4. The on-call Notfallapotheke. One pharmacy per area stays open nights and Sundays; the rota is posted on every pharmacy door and online. Swiss pharmacists can dispense and advise on a surprising range of issues without a prescription — for minor illness this is often the single fastest door in the system.

Every route above lands differently on your wallet because of the KVG franchise (annual deductible, CHF 300–2,500 for adults) and the 10% co-pay:

Choosing the right franchise and model for your risk profile is a real money decision — the health insurance comparison tool models the premiums, and our health insurance guide explains KVG, franchises and the Telmed/HMO trade-offs in plain English. For the deep dive on deductible strategy, see franchises and models explained.

• Insurance card (KVG Karte) — carry it; every provider and pharmacy asks for it, and it contains your policy number for telemedicine calls.
• Saved numbers: your insurer's telemedicine line, your canton's Ärztefon, your GP (once you have one), and your nearest Permanence.
• The Rega app if you hike or ski — GPS transmission on a 1414 call.
• An emergency contact entry labelled "ICE" in your phone — first responders check for it.
• Your medication list — a photo of current prescriptions saves ten minutes of bad German at 3 a.m.

If you have just arrived and none of this is set up yet, the just-arrived checklist walks through insurance, registration and GP setup in the right order for your canton.

• BAG/OFSP — official list of Swiss emergency numbers (144, 145, 1414, 112, 117, 118).
• Tox Info Suisse — national poisons centre, toxinfo.ch.
• Rega — Swiss Air-Rescue, app and membership terms; Air-Glaciers for Valais.
• KVG/LAMal — mandatory basic insurance coverage, franchise and co-pay rules.
• Die Dargebotene Hand (143) and Pro Juventute (147) — crisis support lines.

Save 144, 145 and your insurer's telemedicine number in your phone right now — it takes ninety seconds and is the single highest-value admin task of your first month. Then check whether your insurance model actually matches how you use healthcare with the comparison tool, and generate your full canton checklist on HowToSwiss.