i just got a visit from a friend coming in from singapore. since the day that she arrived, she developed this sore throat that doesn't seem to get any better after 4 days. it hurts when she swallows, and she hasn't been talking for 4 days now. a friend of mine and my aunt, both who are nurses, gave their best medicine and cures, and she has also been taking mebucaine that we bought in the pharmacy, but all seems to be in vain.

she has a travel insurance, and the policy states that she will need to claim the damages later with the required documents (medical papers, proof of payment, policy papers, and copy of passport). the question in my mind is, and it's because i have no experience whatsoever in this, will the costs be covered if we go to a doctor here? and if yes, where do we go? is there a special place for people without a swiss insurance card?

i am grateful for all the help to make my friend's stay here a much more comfortable and memorable one (and not for the wrong reasons).

Go see any doctor, and be prepared to pay on the spot. Keep all receipts and claim back.

okay. and any heads up of what the range of the cost would be? thanks.

It would be a good idea to call the insurance company to get some pointers.

If it's a strep throat (bacterial infection) then you can expect it will cost 100-200chf - about 40chf for the doctor consultation, 40-80chf for pathology tests, and another 60-80 for antibiotics plus whatever other medicine the doctor decides to recommend...

You can walk in to the 'Permanence' clinic at the Hauptbahnhof - I've used them several times and it's cost about 150-200chf each time.

If it's just a virus then not much will help - when I got strep (they will call it 'scarletina' or 'angina' - it was so bad I couldn't even swallow water - and I mean absolutely could not swallow, rather than 'oooh that hurts'...

thanks all. we eventually went to the permanence clinic and paid 200 chf for everything (consultation, tests and the meds). she is feeling better now, not sure if it is because of the medicine or that the virus are just going away by itself though. but at least she has no problem talking/swallowing now. and let's just hope that she could claim all that money back.