Pediatric emergency in Geneva

Pediatric emergency in Geneva

Annoyingly, most of the times children get sick, is at night, or during the school holidays. Do you know where to go when it happens? Which pediatric emergency in Geneva can take you in? What qualifies as an emergency anyway?

When it comes to night-time/evening and holidays care, Geneva has quite a lot of options. But it’s important to know how to use them. Some are walk-in emergency wards of hospitals, others require an appointment.

if you’re not sure whether your child requires an urgent medical help, a brilliant app Info Kids by HUG can help you out (in French only). You can read all about it in this article on Parentville.

InfoKids HUG online

The life-threatening emergencies require a call for an ambulance over at 144 or 112. For intoxication cases help, dial 145.

Not every emergency requires an ambulance though. Where to go then?

WALK-IN facilities.
    1. HUG Urgences Pediatrique. The biggest, and the best equipped emergency ward in Geneva. But because of the overload parents are asked to use it only when really in need, when urgent. Opened 7/7, 24/7. Their website is available in English, too.
    2. Grangettes – though it is a private clinic, its emergency ward for children will accept holders of every type of insurance. Opened all week long, from 9 am till 10 pm. Check out all the necessary information here on their website.

 

Appointment only.

In these places pediatricians are available for emergency consultation. Available during the week from 6pm till 10 pm, and on weekends from 8 am till 10pm.To get help in these places call as soon as you can to schedule an appointment. They can be all reached under the same telephone number: 0844 022 022.

  • Centre médico-chirurgical des Eaux-Vives. To schedule an appointment, you can also call 0227 360 611, or book online here.
Home visits 24/7.

If you want to help your child asap, but the case doesn’t require an urgent medical intervention, you can also ask for a home visit with one of the 2 companies. If they think it’s needed they will transfer your call directly to the ambulance dispatch, or tell you to go to the hospital.

  • Geneve Medecins: for website and phone numbers please click here.
  • SOS Medecins: follow this link to reach their website.

 

24/7 pharmacies.

Sometimes, all you need is a bottle of over-the-counter medicine to control your child’s fever, or an OR solution, to hydrate him after a bad vomiting series.

  • There are 2 pharmacies at the airport opened till 9 pm daily. One is located in the CFF station, the other on the departure level.
  • The pharmacy on the main train station, is opened every day till 11 pm. Click here for details.
  • Every day 2 pharmacies are opened in Geneva 24/7, but it is not always the same pharmacy. You can check the « pharamcie de garde » for each day on this website.

 

 

 

 

 

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InfoKids is THE app every parent should have and ask their nanny to download it too. The Geneva Cantonal Hospital (HUG) went digital and they’re rocking it!
InfoKids HUG online
We’ve all had those moments of doubt: is it nothing or life threatening? Should I go to ER now or call my doc in the morning? What do I do in between?
The pediatric emergency ward of the cantonal hospital (HUG) decided to help us all and created an app that answers all these questions. Unfortunately it is only available in French (another reason to learn French with Parentville even if you’re not planning to stay here long).
Fill in all the info
After downloading the app you will be asked to fill in your contact details, and basic info about your child/children. This includes the insurance number, chronic illnesses, and medications taken on a regular basis.
All that info will be transferred securely to HUG in case you ever tap on “I’m coming to ER now”.
How does it work?
When needed, open the app and choose one of the following:
    • my child is unconscious -> app will ask you to call 144 immediately ( you can do so from the app!)
    • My child is sick -> choose what is going on exactly and follow the advise. It will tell you what symptoms should make you come to hug asap, and which symptoms can wait 24h for a doctor’s consultation. The app will also advise what you can do at home to help your kid.
    • My child has had an accident -> choose the type of the accident. The app will tell you, based on your child’s symptoms, whether you should come to ER, consult a doctor later, and what to do at home.
In each of these sections you can also click on “I’m coming to ER”, the app will then ask for your location, offer to guide you via google maps, and will inform the ER that you’re coming and for what reason.
What’s more, the report of your consultation at the ER will be uploaded to the app, so you have access to the medical info at all times!
InfoKids HUG online
Waiting time in HUG on your screen
You can also use the InfoKids app to check the current waiting status in the HUG’s ER. The same screen is placed in the actual waiting room of the pediatric emergency room.
The red line is reserved for those coming with ambulances or arriving with problems requiring immediate help (life threatening cases). The further you are from the life-threatening line, the longer you’ll wait. Those on the blue line, to Parentville’s knowledge, are those who could have waited to see a doctor outside of ER.
It is up to the triage nurse at the entry to decide which color line your child will be assigned to. Please trust they know what they are doing. And remember, the longer you wait, the better. It only means there is nothing serious happening with your kid.
Everyone who has been to ER, and was seen by a doctor without waiting even 5 minutes, knows how freaking scary it is.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to ER when things are not very bad. A lot of times you should go, so things won’t turn very bad! Just please, accept the fact you will wait a bit. Those coming with their lives in risk, must be treated first.

 

InfoKids Google PlayInfoKids App Store

 

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