Finding a GP and a pharmacy (Vaud)

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Items marked To verify are not confirmed on an official page. This page does not recommend individual clinics and is not medical advice.

How this fits with the kit

For life-threatening emergencies and EPFL campus numbers, use Health & emergencies first (campus line / 144).

This page is for everyday care: finding a family doctor (GP / médecin de famille), using a pharmacy, the EPFL campus nurses (Point Santé), and calling the cantonal on-call line when you do not have a doctor yet.

Insurance first (LAMal / EHIC)

How you pay for care depends on your cover, details on the kit LAMal page:

• Swiss LAMal (basic): the standard model gives a free choice of doctor. Alternative models (FOPH categories PRAXIS, TEL_DIG, PHARM, FLEX) fix your first point of contact (a named practice, telemedicine/app, or a partner pharmacy) in exchange for a lower premium. Check your policy before booking.
• EU/EFTA/UK students who do not work: FOPH says you are not required to take Swiss LAMal while covered at home, and can be treated in Switzerland with your EHIC. If you start working, Swiss LAMal becomes compulsory.
• Billing (EPFL): bills from a public hospital usually go to the insurer. Bills from a medical centre or private doctor usually come to your home address. You pay within 30 days and then claim reimbursement. EHIC holders claim through the Institution commune LAMal (process on the EPFL page).

Sources: FOPH, Foreign students · FOPH, Premiums & costs FAQ (insurance models) · EPFL, Health insurance

Get a family doctor (médecin de famille)

État de Vaud recommends having your own family doctor, who keeps your medical file, advises on specialists, and is your first contact when something goes wrong. First-line doctors include GPs / family doctors, internists, paediatricians, gynaecologists, and psychiatrists.

Directory: Vaud points to the Société vaudoise de médecine (SVM) directory « trouver un médecin ». Vaud notes that only a minority of practising doctors in the canton are not SVM members.

• Start here: État de Vaud, Médecins et médecins-dentistes (links to the SVM directory)
• SVM search page (as linked from that cantonal page): svmed.ch, Trouver un médecin

To verify: whether a given practice accepts new patients. Check the directory entry or call the practice; this kit does not recommend individual clinics.

On EPFL campus: Point Santé (nurses)

EPFL’s Point Santé (Health Point) offers free, confidential nurse consultations for EPFL students, doctoral students, and staff. Book an appointment (walk-ins may be sent elsewhere when it is busy). Nurses assess the problem, provide care such as dressings, stitch removal, or injections, and can refer you to an outside health professional. Unisanté (the public university centre for primary care in Lausanne) runs it with EPFL.

• Book / info: Point Santé EPFL · EPFL page: Nurse consultations
• Per EPFL: Mon–Fri 09:00–11:30 and 12:30–16:30 (excluding holiday periods) · room BS 172 · +41 21 693 20 02 · pointsante@epfl.ch
• Charged examples EPFL lists (amounts only where the official page states them):
  • Emergency contraception (morning-after pill): nurses can give it up to 72 hours after unprotected sex; the medication is charged. EPFL, Point Santé and Unisanté do not publish the amount, so To verify the CHF when you book.
  • Routine immunizations: billed except MMR and HPV under certain conditions (bring your vaccination record).
  • Adult catch-up, flu, COVID and measles, and what LAMal pays: see Vaccinations in Vaud.
  • STI / STD tests: EPFL states a charge of between CHF 10 and CHF 30 depending on the test, paid with your CAMIPRO card (Point Santé site); generally not earlier than 3 months after last risk (exceptions: unprotected sex in last 48 h → seek advice immediately / CHUV emergency). Do not urinate for 2 hours before the appointment.
• EPFL also publishes a non-exhaustive healthcare network list (PDF, dated 10.07.2025) with nearby emergency departments and walk-in practices: Réseau de soins (PDF). To verify: opening hours in the PDF against each provider’s own site before you go, because some are out of date. Example: the PDF lists different hours for Unisanté's walk-in Permanence du Flon (Voie du Chariot 4, Lausanne, ages 16 and over) than Unisanté's own page, which gives Mon–Fri 08:00–20:00 and Sat, Sun and public holidays 09:00–19:00 (Unisanté, Permanence du Flon).

Sources: EPFL, Nurse consultations · Unisanté, Campus (Point Santé)

Emergency contraception, STI and HIV testing and the PROFA centres: see Sexual health in Vaud.

No doctor yet, or doctor unreachable (not life-threatening)

Call the Centrale téléphonique des médecins de garde (CTMG): 0848 133 133. It answers 24/7 anywhere in Vaud, at the local rate.

Vaud says to call it if you have no family doctor, or yours does not answer, and it is not a vital emergency. A nurse assesses your situation, advises you, and directs you to the most suitable service. The CTMG is attached to Unisanté. Orientation info is also on urgences-sante.ch, Pharmacies de garde.

Sources:

• État de Vaud, Urgences
• État de Vaud, Médecins et médecins-dentistes
• Unisanté, CTMG

Vital emergency: call 144. If you are on EPFL campus, use EPFL’s line instead: +41 21 693 30 00, 115 from an EPFL landline, or SOS in the EPFL Campus app. EPFL asks for this because it gets help to you faster on site. See Health & emergencies and EPFL, Health emergencies.

Pharmacies

Everyday advice and pharmacy consultation

Vaud describes a pharmacy consultation, offered by most pharmacies in the canton without an appointment. It is for adults from age 16 who have no treating doctor, or whose doctor is unavailable. Examples Vaud lists: cough or cold, eye irritation, urinary or gynaecological problems, stomach problems, acute pain, skin problems, seasonal allergies. For defined situations, the pharmacist may hand out certain medicines that normally need a prescription, following an official FOPH list.

Cost (official Vaud page): consultation from CHF 20. The price varies with what is done, and you pay on the spot. Medicines handed out under this service are not reimbursed. Ordinary advice at the counter stays free. Vaud says some insurance models (integrated care networks) cover these consultations, so ask your insurer.

Source: État de Vaud, Consultation en pharmacie (short link vd.ch/pharmacie-consultation redirects there)

On-duty pharmacy (pharmacie de garde)

• 08:00–20:00, every day: find the nearest on-duty pharmacy at garde.svph.ch, the Société vaudoise de pharmacie finder that État de Vaud and urgences-sante.ch link to. Allow location access, or type an address if your location cannot be found.
• 20:00–08:00, every day: call CTMG 0848 133 133.

Sources: État de Vaud, Urgences · urgences-sante.ch, Pharmacies de garde

Brought medicines from home, or want a refill sent? See Bringing medicines into Switzerland for personal use.

Dentists

If your dentist is unreachable, Vaud says the same CTMG line (0848 133 133) will direct you to the on-call dentist for your region.

Costs, LAMal rules and finding a dentist: see Dental care and LAMal.

Source: État de Vaud, Médecins et médecins-dentistes

Quick checklist

1. Confirm your insurance path (LAMal, or EHIC / exemption): LAMal.
2. On LAMal with an alternative model? Check who you must contact first.
3. Look for a médecin de famille early (SVM directory).
4. On campus, use Point Santé for nurse triage. With no GP, or out of hours, call CTMG 0848 133 133.
5. Save the EPFL campus emergency numbers, and 144 for life-threatening cases off campus.
6. For night pharmacy needs (20:00–08:00), use CTMG, not a random clinic list.

EPFL Social consultation (admin / non-emergency support)

Not a doctor or emergency line. For confidential help with stress, admin, finances/scholarships, or finding the right EPFL resource: email consultation.sociale@epfl.ch. EPFL states emails are checked every business day, with a response within 48 hours (French or English; campus or online).

Money problems? See Money help for students.

Source: EPFL, Social consultation · FR: Consultation sociale

Also on Health & emergencies.