Six retreats have a doctor on site. Seventeen do not.
Medical supervision at Swiss residential programmes, checked one by one — and why 'physician on call' can mean a phone number.
We checked the medical supervision arrangements at every residential programme in our register: 23 in total. Six have a physician on site during the programme. Four more have one formally on call. The remaining thirteen have no medical supervision arrangement at all — which is acceptable for a hiking week, and worth knowing before you book a supervised fast.
"On call" deserves one more question
On call can mean a doctor ten minutes away with your file, or a phone number. If a programme involves fasting, altitude, or significant exertion, ask what the arrangement actually is: who is the physician, how far away, and what do they know about you before you arrive.