Accident & Emergency

The emergency services of the Valais Hospital welcome, by definition, all patients who come to their door, their only common point being that they do not have an appointment. Doctors and nurses have specific training in the field of emergencies and are responsible for the reception, assessment, diagnosis, immediate care and referral of patients.

Sion and Visp
The emergency rooms of the Valais Hospital in Sion and Visp are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Martigny
The Emergency Department is open every day of the year, including weekends and public holidays, from 7am to 7pm. 
Paediatric emergencies are not dealt with at Martigny Hospital. Please go to Sion hospital or another nearby emergency centre.

Sierre
The medical-surgical service for adults (without appointment) at Sierre hospital is open from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Paediatric emergencies are not dealt with at Sierre Hospital. Please go to Sion hospital or another nearby emergency centre.

• For serious cases or if you are in any doubt, immediately call 144.
• In all other cases, local care is offered in each hospital.

• In a life-threatening emergency (loss of consciousness, choking, etc.) requiring immediate medical attention, call 144.
• If the emergency is not life-threatening and occurs during surgery hours, contact your paediatrician.
• Phone: 0900 144 027
  This number can be called 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  The cost of the call is Fr. 0.50 and Fr. 2.- per minute, capped at Fr. 30.50.

If there has been an accident, first secure the site of the accident in order to avoid anyone else getting injured (place a warning triangle on the road, slow down the traffic, move injured persons away from places that are at risk of explosion, etc.).

If the person is unconscious, place him/her in the recovery position. If he/she is not breathing, immediately start resuscitation if you are familiar with this procedure.

If the person is conscious, place him/her in a comfortable position, making sure that nothing will complicate his/her condition.

Before moving an accident victim, ensure that he/she does not have a fractured spine. If you are in any doubt, do not move him/her.

Do not give the casualty anything to eat or drink, or anything to smoke.

If the casualty is bleeding profusely or in bursts, compress the main artery above the wound. If you have not been trained to do this, compress the bleeding area using a clean handkerchief or a clean piece of cloth.
If the person is cold or is at risk of getting cold, cover him/her with a blanket or clothing.

Other numbers

Pharmacies

• 0800 558 143* (CHF 0.50 per call and CHF 1.00 per minute)

Dentists

• 0900 144 044* (CHF 0.50 per call and CHF 1.00 per minute) (Calling rate from a fixed network)

*If your subscription does not allow you to reach this type of number, use another telephone and/or contact your operator.

The Haut-Vallais General Practitioner Emergency Centre (HANOW) is located in the Viège [Visp] hospital. Unlike the Viège hospital emergency department, where only doctors at the Haut-Valais Hospital work, this emergency service is run by general practitioners in the region.

Each year, over 5,000 patients are treated there. This is where ‘general practitioner emergencies’ are managed, in other words patients who could be treated in a family doctor/GP practice. The Haut-Vallais General Practitioner Emergency Centre (HANOW) and the hospital emergency department are directly linked. The collaboration between these departments is therefore a permanent one.

The Haut-Vallais General Practitioner Emergency Centre (HANOW) is open every day from 17:30 to 21:00 and at weekends and on public holidays from 09:00 to 21:00.

No appointment is necessary, and patients are seen in order of arrival. Only urgent examinations and treatments are carried out. Subsequent interventions and treatment follow-ups are delegated to the family doctor.