Hospitals in Switzerland operate under a federal framework with cantonal administration, combining public and private establishments to provide comprehensive medical services.
As of 2023, Switzerland had 275 hospitals and birthing centers with a total capacity of 37,925 beds, serving approximately 1.5 million patients annually. These facilities employed 185,775 full-time equivalent staff and generated total charges of 36.1 billion CHF, representing 35.7% of the country's total healthcare costs.
History
Medieval period
The earliest hospitals in Switzerland emerged during the Middle Ages, following the model of charitable institutions that had developed in the Byzantine Empire from the 4th century onward. These medieval establishments served a diverse population including the indigent, elderly, homeless, orphans, disabled individuals, beggars, pilgrims, women in childbirth, and the sick without resources. They provided lodging, food, and care, typically for short durations.
The oldest documented hospitals in Switzerland were located in abbeys such as Saint-Gall in the 8th century and Saint-Maurice in the 10th century, as well as in episcopal cities including Chur in the 8th century, Lausanne in the 9th century, and Sion in the 12th century. By 1200, ten establishments had been documented, including early foundations of hospital orders such as those at Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Roche, and Vevey, which were connected to the Great St Bernard Hospice.
Payment systems
Swiss hospitals operate under the SwissDRG (Swiss Diagnosis Related Groups) system for acute care reimbursement, introduced nationally on January 1, 2012. This system is based on the German G-DRG patient classification system and provides uniform remuneration for hospital services according to case-based flat rates.
- Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva
- University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne
- Hirslanden Clinique Cecil, Lausanne
- Hirslanden Clinique Bois-Cerf, Lausanne
- Hirslanden Clinique La Colline, Geneva
- Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino (EOC), Lugano <small>(it)</small>
- La Ligniere Clinic, Gland
- L’Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) - Ticino cantonal hospital system
- Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona, Acquarossa (EOC), Bellinzona
- Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona, Faido (EOC), Bellinzona
- Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona, San Giovanni (EOC), Bellinzona
- Ospedale Regionale di Locarno, La Carità (EOC), Locarno
- Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Italiano (EOC), Lugano <small>(it)</small>
- Ospedale Regionale di Mendrisio, Beata Vergine (EOC), Mendrisio
- Stadtspital Triemli, Zürich
- University Hospital of Basel
- University Hospital of Bern
- University Hospital of Zürich