Hi

I wish to put forth my experiance with Doctors in Switzerland.

Due to my eagerness to do something which I am not fit to, I got pierced with a iron nail in my hand and it was bleeding. To be on a safer side I thought of visiting a doctor to have a ani-tetanus shot. I went to Permenance ( nr HB) and was told that I will have to wait for 3 hrs. Agreed as there might be rush it was o k . I went to a second doctor in Oerlikon (nr CO OP , opposite Max Bill Platz.) to my utter surprise, when I told my problem and said that I need a anti-tetanus shot, the lady plainly said that as I have visited them first time,( not regeisterd with them) I would get a appointment in the month of May!!! I was quiet aghast and was just wondering that in which part of world I am staying in??!!If the tetanus do some ill effect on me by that time, whats the point ??

Finally I got another doctor where I am to visit without any appointment to get this injection!!

I felt like before anything happens to any one, one should take an appointment!!!(Swiss punctulaity/timliness??!!)

Then you should have tried the "Walk-in am Stauffacher" - open daily (7 to 21) and without appointment - located on Badenerstrasse 41. They specifically treat accidents and wounds. Tel 044 298 50 50 or at info@medix-notfallpraxis.ch. Many cities have these kinds of emergency treatment centers.

J.

If it is the first time you come to a doctor, they allways tell you to come next month or in 2 months.

It is to discourage you, and also to filter the hypochondriacs I guess.

If you insist they could give you the appointment for the same day. ( has happened to me many times )

If you are already a "customer" of that doctor, they fit you in the schedule with no problems at all

A tetanus jab is hardly a typical case of hypochondria! A couple of months wait for treatment might spell the end for the OP. A bloke who lived near my parents didn't bother getting a gardening wound looked at and died exactly of this.

Apparently it's a horrible way to die, too.

why not go to A&E (accident & emergency) at one of the hospitals?

Thanks for this info!

Will keep this in my record!

Nilesh

indeed it is.

But the last injury i had that _i_ thought required a tetanus was in the UK about about 7 years ago. I went to the local clinic and the nurse asked "how many of the tetanus jabs had I had already in my life?" growing up on a farm and having been bitten by several different animals, injuries etc. i've had several. she advised that perceived medical thinking at the time was that if you've had a few in your life (<25years old) and at least one in the last 10 years they prefer not to give you anymore. you already have the protection and there might be a risk in giving you further.

i believe that thinking still prevails in the UK.

Finally I was successful in getting the jab!! But again wish to mention: the assistant lady to the doctor was saying that it is a accident when I tried to explain that it was nothing of that sort!!Or may be I need to understand the defination of accident

I had an emergency experience and also made the mistake of going to a doctor's office. The doctor did nothing but slow us down and prolong the pain. He also sent a bill for nothing. I've since learned that the hospital is the first place to go to on urgent matters. They'll take you in.

You should go to the doctor's office for slower kinds of problems, if you are lucky to get him when he isn't busy with one of his expensive hobbies.

defining it as an accident i.e. not an illness is for insurance purposes. if its an accident (fall, break leg or similar): your employer effectively pays all the bills through their insurance. if its an illness (flu, soar throat, hay fever, etc) you have to pay based on your private compulsory health insurance.

A minor addition: Self-employed people (e.g. self-employed contractors or entrepreneurs) need to care for proper accident insurance themselves (can usually be added as an option to the private compulsory health insurance).

Thanks to immunization, the tetanus illness is very seldom in Switzerland (1-4 cases per year) and even if you're unlucky, lethality is considerably lower than in developing countries (< 25% compared to 40-50%).

That said, it's important to have proper immunization.

Another place to go if you're in a hurry (open around the clock):

Airport Medical Center (AMC), Zurich Airport, Phone 043 816 60 00

The AMC medical practice is somewhat difficult to find though. It's located in the same building as Parking A, between Terminal 1 and 2.

http://www.klinik-gut.ch/english/s_airport_e.htm

The Permanence at the train main station is generally nice for minor problems but queuing is indeed very common there.

So in case of a real emergency (the mere risk of a tetanus infection probably doesn't qualify) I'd recommend to dial the appropriate number:

http://www.linker.ch/eigenlink/sos_notfallnummern.htm

and/or visiting the A & E of the nearest hospital. Please note that more and more patients visit A & E departments of hospitals for obvious bagatelles, potentially preventing other, needier patients from being treated in a timely manner.

Thanks for such a useful info....

Add to that unemployed - you need to have your accident insurance added to your basic health insurance.

eh no, i don't think so! unless you mean 'unemployed and not on state support'. if you are on the RAV/Chomage, you are covered.