Switzerland will seek reimbursement from Italy for medical expenses incurred after three Italian boys were hospitalized following a New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in Crans-Montana.
The Swiss mutual insurance company plans to request 100,000 Swiss francs — approximately 108,000 euros — to cover the costs of the brief hospitalization at the Sion hospital.
The demand emerged during a meeting on April 24, 2026, between Italy’s ambassador to Bern, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, and Mathias Reynard, president of the canton of Valais.
Reynard stated that, from a regulatory standpoint, he has no authority to assume the costs.
Ambassador Cornado responded that Italy will not pay the bill, citing the principle of reciprocity.
He noted that Italy had previously provided weeks of medical care for two Swiss citizens at Niguarda Hospital in Milan, and that the Aosta Valley civil protection had contributed its own helicopter to the rescue efforts in the early hours after the fire.
“There is a principle of reciprocity that must be respected,” Cornado said.
The incident occurred during a New Year’s celebration at the “Le Constellation” bar in Crans-Montana, where three Italian youths were injured and transported to the Sion hospital for treatment.
The case underscores ongoing cross-border coordination challenges in emergency medical responses between neighboring countries, even amid established cooperation frameworks.
