Santé24

What is Santé24?

Santé24 (spelt santé24 by SWICA) is the telemedicine centre of the health insurer SWICA. Telemedicine means that you receive medical advice remotely, by phone, video or in writing, instead of at a practice. At Santé24, doctors and other medical professionals give advice. According to SWICA, the centre can be reached around the clock, 365 days a year, including weekends and public holidays.

According to SWICA, Santé24 deals with acute complaints, chronic illnesses, second opinions, questions about vaccinations and medicines, and mental health concerns. Depending on what is possible via telemedicine, the doctors can prescribe medicines or order therapies. The phone number is +41 44 404 86 86. There is also an online practice and the SWICA app.

It is important to distinguish between three terms that are often mixed up:

• Telemedicine is the general term for medical advice and treatment provided remotely.
• Santé24 is a specific telemedicine centre run by SWICA. Other health insurers work with other centres, for example with Medgate.
• Telmed is an insurance model in basic health insurance (the telemedicine model). You commit to contacting a telemedicine centre first with any health question and pay a lower premium in return.

So Santé24 is not an insurance model but the point of contact that SWICA runs for its insured persons. According to SWICA, advice is free for customers with a Favorit model or BestMed. You will find an overview of SWICA with contact details in the SWICA profile.

How it works

A call to Santé24 usually follows this sequence:

1. Contact. You call or use the online practice. Have your health insurance card ready.
2. Initial assessment. A medical professional records your symptoms and assesses how urgent they are.
3. Advice or treatment. Depending on the case, you receive advice on self-treatment, a remote medical consultation, a prescription or a recommendation to go to a practice, a hospital or the emergency department.
4. Referral. If you are insured in a telemedicine model, the recommendation is the basis for the rest of your treatment path. If you do not follow it, the consequences set out in the model’s conditions apply.

In an emergency, one rule always applies: if your life is in danger, call the emergency number 144. Telemedicine models exempt genuine emergencies from the obligation to seek advice first; the exact rule is in the model’s conditions.

In basic health insurance, SWICA offers the FAVORIT TELMED model, among others, in 2026. SWICA’s model conditions set out which point of contact is binding in this and in the other Favorit models. Whether a telemedicine model suits you depends on how comfortable you are with advice by phone and whether you want to keep a regular GP.

Legal basis

There is no specific statutory regulation for Santé24 as a SWICA service. What matters legally are the insurance models in which a telemedicine centre plays a role. Under Art. 41 para. 4 of the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), insured persons can, in agreement with the insurer, restrict their choice to service providers that the insurer selects with a view to more cost-effective care. Art. 62 para. 1 KVG allows the insurer to reduce the premiums for such insurance.

The Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV) specifies this in Art. 99 to 101. Under Art. 101 para. 2 KVV, premium reductions are only permitted for cost differences that result from the restricted choice and the special remuneration of service providers, not from a more favourable group of insured persons. If there are no experience figures covering at least five financial years, the premium may be at most 20% below the insurer’s standard premium under Art. 101 para. 3 KVV.

For remote prescriptions, Art. 26 para. 2 of the Therapeutic Products Act (TPA; in German HMG) applies: a medicine may only be prescribed if the patient’s state of health is known.

Example: SWICA premiums in Zurich in 2026

Jan is 38, lives in the city of Zurich (premium region 1) and is insured with accident cover. The table shows SWICA’s monthly premiums for the standard model and for FAVORIT TELMED (premiums 2026, municipality of Zurich, adults, with accident cover; source: FOPH).

What this means for you

Santé24 is mainly relevant to you if you are insured with SWICA or are considering switching to it.

1. Save the number. If you are in a Favorit model with SWICA, save +41 44 404 86 86 in your phone. In the telemedicine model, the call is often the first step before you go to a practice.
2. Read the model rules. Check in which cases you have to call first and which exceptions apply. This is set out in the model conditions, not on the Santé24 page.
3. Choose the right model. If you prefer a regular GP, a GP model is often a better choice than a telemedicine model. The model finder helps you work out which model suits you.
4. Know the deadlines for switching. You can change model in basic health insurance with effect from 1 January. The dates are listed under deadlines.

You will find all health insurers with their profiles under health insurers.

Common mistakes

• Thinking Santé24 is an insurance model. Santé24 is the advice service. At SWICA, the model is called FAVORIT TELMED, for example.
• Confusing Santé24 and Medgate. They are two different centres. Which one applies to you depends on your health insurer and your model.
• Going straight to the doctor in the telemedicine model. If you do not follow the rules of the model, you risk the consequences set out in the conditions.
• Calling the advice line first in an emergency. If your life is in danger, call 144.

How we build our premium examples is explained under how we calculate.