More funds for emergency poisoning helpline requested

Over 100,000 people call for more federal funding for poison centres Keystone-SDA

Over 100,000 people have signed a petition to save the 24-hour emergency poisoning advice helpline Tox Info Suisse.

The petitioners claim that the disappearance of this institution would have fatal consequences. Parents seeking advice or those affected would no longer have a place to go in an emergency, Tox Info Suisse wrote in a press release on Thursday. About 40% of are parents with children under the age of five. Medical professionals could also no longer access the centralised service.

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The petition is addressed to Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and calls for the poison centre to be sustainably funded by government contributions. Those responsible for Tox Info Suisse invited Baume-Schneider to a rescue meeting.

According to the petitioners, concrete measures must be discussed immediately to provide the necessary emergency aid of CHF 1.1 million by the end of August 2025 and medium-term funding.

According to the institution’s own information, Tox Info Suisse has so far only received 10% of its funding from the federal government, although it fulfils a statutory federal mandate in the area of poisoning prevention, counselling and documentation.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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