Just got back from holiday in France Saturday where I'm fairly certain I fractured my arm I suspect my Dr is closed today. Is there somewhere other than hospital I can go to get it Xrayed? In the US we have Urgent Care clinics with Xray machines .... Don't know if I should wait till tomorrow and contact my family Dr ... ouch
Sue

Bloody hell... Get yourself off to the hospital "Notaufnahme" emegencys is what you want, there you will be taken care of.

There's a phone number to call that will tell you the details of doctors on call whatever day it is.

If you call your regular doctor, they probably have an answering machine on and will give the numbers to try.

In Zurich the number for an 'on call' doctor is:
Doctors Emergency Line Zurich (24 Hour), 044 421 2121, www.aerztefon.ch

I've used the Permanence at the HB several times:
http://www.permanence.ch/frame_e.htm

Their website says that have x ray on site.

Also, your fall is covered by your accident insurance, so it's important to contact the insurer (if you work, it's covered under your employment even if you have a fall elsewhere) - make sure you make that contact ASAP and report the accident and then all your emergency care will be covered.

Please don't wait until tomorrow. If your bones need to be re-aligned then it should be done ASAP (and at the minimum you need a professional to strap it all together - it could easily be worse than you think).... rubbing two bits of broken bone against each other is not a good idea....

Why the aversion to hospital? That's what they're there for.

Go straight to the ER (Notfall) of your nearest hospital. Take your insurance card with you. The longest I've ever had to wait before being seen was 30 minutes.

Anyway, your doc won't have an X-ray machine in his surgery and will send you to hospital, so there's no point in waiting!

All the costs will be covered by your accident insurance, if that's what worries you.

Mine does.

Tom

As does mine. It really isn't uncommon.

But it's really not there to deal with emergencies such as this. As others have said - that's what hospitals are for.

Ok, I stand corrected. I never heard about it in the Lausanne area though. Maybe in big cities there's enough ER so docs have no need to have such an expensive equipment? Might be more useful in rural areas.

I have three hospitals within 10 a minute drive from home, all with ER facilities (though one is limited), so I doubt that that's the reason.

Tom

can we add this one to the " where can i buy rice" group

Heck, my GP doesn't even have a stethoscope, let alone an x-ray machine. Same with the other doc in town.

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Over the holidays, for a non-life threatening but time critical concern I'd go to the Permanence clinic at the ZH HB, similarly to the way I'd first go to a Medpoint rather than the ER in the US. The local ER in my neck of the woods really is just that - life threatening injuries or illnesses only.

If going to the ER makes more sense logistically, one could always call ahead - the ER staff will tell you if you should come in, or direct you to go elsewhere.

Theoretically there is always a local doctor who has on-call duty; but given the resistence one gets from the gatekeepers, I've found it's usually more efficient to go straight to the Permanence clinic.

Hope your arm gets seen to quickly, and quickly mends.

Did you bump your head too? Go to hospital.

PS Don't go to the pharmacy......they'll give you special tea for broken arms

Just an update - went to the Permanence clinic and there was no fracture - hurray - just a really nasty contusion and lots of swelling - got lucky.

In the US we don't go to hospital ERs often for this type of thing b/c it's so costly - also it had already been a few days ... I hate going to the hospital ... that's why I was looking for something analogous to what we call a "Doc-in-the-Box" in the US - free standing med clinic with X-ray equipment etc. My general doc here in Zurich doesn't have an Xray machine.

Thanks for your help
Sue

In my experience it costs about the same in Switzerland to go to hospital ER, as it does to visit your doctor. (I've also been seen more quickly and had more expert treatment).

I have a high franchise, so I'm quite sensitive to medical costs!