Switzerland's sole volunteer paramedic service
-
A volunteer paramedic outside the home of a woman suffering from a stroke. © Didier Ruef -
To the aid of an elderly man who fell down and hurt himself. © Didier Ruef -
Volunteers being trained in the correct use of a space blanket. © Didier Ruef -
An elderly man suffering from severe respiratory problems is attended to by paramedics and a doctor. © Didier Ruef -
Transporting a patient to the hospital. © Didier Ruef -
The patient receives supplementary oxygen from a ventilator inside the ambulance. © Didier Ruef -
A paramedic inserts an intravenous drip into the patient's hand. © Didier Ruef -
© Didier Ruef -
Relaxing while typing up the medical report of the last emergency of the day. © Didier Ruef -
Assisting a man who broke his leg after a fall while cutting branches off a tree. © Didier Ruef -
Cleaning the ambulance is also part of a volunteer paramedic's job. © Didier Ruef -
Attending to a patient suffering from pneumonia. © Didier Ruef -
Monitoring the vitals of a man with high blood pressure. © Didier Ruef -
Volunteer paramedics have to deal with patients of all ages. © Didier Ruef -
Speed of the essence when a patient is suffering from a stroke. © Didier Ruef -
Cleaning hospital corridors is also part of the job. © Didier Ruef -
A team of volunteer paramedics enjoy breakfast together. © Didier Ruef
Croce Verde (Green Cross) Lugano is a non-profit that runs an ambulance service, a low-cost dental practice and first aid training courses. Volunteers are the backbone of this organisation.
This content was published on January 12, 2019 - 11:00- Deutsch Erste Hilfe ist auch eine Leidenschaft
- Español El servicio de socorro como pasión
- Português Conheça o único serviço paramédico voluntário da Suíça
- 中文 义务急救 让人着迷
- Français Le secourisme est aussi une passion
- عربي متطوّعون شغوفون بتقديم الإسعافات الأولية ونجدة المُصابين
- Pусский Парамедики из Зеленого Креста Лугано спешат на помощь
- 日本語 ボランティアの救急隊員・ルガーノ緑十字
- Italiano Il servizio di soccorso è anche una passione
The associationExternal link based in Lugano in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino celebrates its 118th anniversary this year. It relied exclusively on the work of volunteers until 1989 before becoming more professional. However, Croce Verde still depends on a pool of 110 volunteers, in addition to the 95 people it employs. These volunteers offer pre-hospital medical assistance free of charge during their spare time. This structure is unique in Switzerland; no other canton has integrated volunteers into its emergency relief efforts.
250 hours of commitment
What motivates volunteers to join Croce Verde? Reasons range from the need to help, the adrenaline that comes with emergencies, the relationships that are created with patients and their families, the unpredictability of the role, the feeling of being part of a team or simply giving meaning to one's life.
In September 2017, nearly 90 women and men submitted a spontaneous application to join Croce Verde. The association selected fifteen applicants for training. After 300 hours of training, the volunteers give a written theoretical exam and are evaluated during their interventions. If they pass, they get to join a team during medical emergencies. The investment is significant: everyone must complete a minimum of 250 hours of service per year, in addition to 20 hours of further training.
This article was automatically imported from our old content management system. If you see any display errors, please let us know: community-feedback@swissinfo.ch
Contributions under this article have been turned off. You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.