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HEALTH

WHO: No Zika vaccine before 2020

About 40 potential vaccines for the Zika virus are being tested, but none are likely to be available for women of childbearing age before 2020, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Published: 2 February 2017 08:51 CET
WHO: No Zika vaccine before 2020
Photo: Ye Aung Thu/AFP
WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus, linked to deformations in babies' heads and brains, remained “firmly entrenched” in large parts of the world.
   
Although progress toward effective prevention has been made, with some drugs now in clinical trials, “a vaccine judged safe enough for use in women of childbearing age may not be fully licensed before 2020,” Chan said.
   
The Geneva-based agency declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency, though Chan said Wednesday that the WHO was setting up a new support programme for countries around the world.
   
The outbreak, which emerged in Brazil in 2015, has affected some 70 countries.
   
While Zika, spread by infected mosquitoes as well as by sexual contact, causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a crippling deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.
   
In June, the WHO said $122 million (113 million euros) was needed to fund an 18-month plan to fight infections of women of childbearing age.

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HEALTH

How difficult is it to change your doctor in Switzerland?

If you already have a GP doctor in Switzerland but, for some reason, need or want to switch, how easy is it to do so?

Published: 8 July 2024 15:59 CEST
Updated: 8 September 2024 05:47 CEST
How difficult is it to change your doctor in Switzerland?

There are a number of reasons why you may want to leave your GP and find a new one.

Maybe you don’t like their bedside manner, are not happy with the medical care, or are simply moving away and need to find someone closer to your new home.

Whatever the reason, whether or not you can easily switch from one doctor to another depends on the kind of health insurance you have.

Different models, different rights

If you have the ‘standard’ — and typically the most expensive — type of the obligatory health insurance (KVG / LaMal), then you are free to switch your GPs at will, and you don’t have to inform the insurance carrier of the switch.

However, if you have opted for one of the cheaper insurance models, then your right to switch doctors may be limited:

Family doctor model’

It is the most popular in Switzerland (and 20 percent cheaper than standard insurance policy premiums).

Under this model, you have a family doctor who will manage your care — that is, treat you or send you to specialists if needed (with the exception of gynecologists and eye doctors, who don’t require a referral).

You can’t, however, change doctors at will, unless your insurance company approves the switch.

Telemedicine model

If you have opted for the Telemed formula, you must call a health hotline set up by your insurance company.

They will give you a referral to a doctor or hospital based on your symptoms.
 
Heath Maintainance Organisation (HMO)

Under this model, policyholders are required to consult a particular HMO practice. Two disadvantages of this alternative is a limited choice of doctors and you also need a referral to see a specialist.

So the only option that gives you the right to switch doctors with no hassle is the standard one, with the family doctor model also possibly allowing you to do so, under certain circumstances.

The way Telmed and HMO are set up, however, switching doctors is not possible. If that option is important to you, then you will have to switch to the (more expensive) standard insurance.

The only exception to the above restrictions are emergencies, when you need urgent medical treatment.

Assuming you have the standard model, how do you go about changing?

The process is pretty simple: you can find physicians in your area either through recommendations from people you know (which is the best way to ensure you will not be getting an ‘anonymous’ doctor) or, if no recommendations are available, then through the OneDoc platform, which lists which doctors are taking new patients and where.

You can then make an appointment directly online.

When you do so, ask your current physician’s office to transfer your file to the new doc.

You don’t need to explain the reasons for the switch.
 
READ ALSO: The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters 
 

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