Visits to the end-of-life Centres
Other VAD Providers
Updated
“In 2026 they will probably handle, between them, about 20 Voluntary Assisted Deaths for non-Swiss citizens”
Lifecircle
Lifecircle was founded by Erika Preisig in 2011 but closed its books to new members in 2022. It is still conducting VAD procedures from its dedicated apartment in Liestal but is now handling only applications from people who had joined before October 2022. Inevitably, such numbers are now falling and the caseload is probably down to one per month.
If you are in the position of having joined before October 2022 and have still maintained your annual membership, you will be entitled to a very substantial discount on the fees that were previously quoted. This is because Lifecircle is running down its financial reserves and its existing members are the main beneficiaries. Lifecircle’s preferred method of operation is by means of a cannula and infusion. The apartment is shared by Phoenix Care. The criteria for acceptance are somewhat more restrictive than is the case with Pegasos or Athanasios but not so narrow as those of Dignitas.
Ex International
The name itself leads to a lot of confusion. Ex International operates from Bern. It is a fully independent Swiss provider of VAD services for Swiss citizens and for people of other nationalities. It is not the same as EXIT Suisse which is the biggest VAD provider of all – but handles only cases from Swiss people themselves. And it is certainly not the same as EXIT International which is based in Holland and which publishes “The Peaceful Pill”.
Ex International, like Dignitas, requires patients to drink the pentobarbital of sodium. Its qualification criteria are also very similar to those of Dignitas.
Most of its work is done with Swiss citizens, frequently in their own homes, but it does operate a small VAD suite in Bern for its occasional foreign visitors.
Bern is the location of the Swiss Federal Government. Nonetheless, it does not possess its own major airport. It is 65 miles from Basel and 80 miles from Zurich. Rail access, however, is really excellent.
On this website, we know relatively little about Ex International because they seek to operate, deliberately we believe, below the radar. Their website is not kept up-to-date and we have never been able to arrange a meeting with them. Occasional readers of our own website have made contact with them and have reported them to be extremely helpful.
The Last Resort
The Last Resort was set up in 2023 specifically to handle Swiss VADs using the Sarco “suicide pod” as developed by Philip Nitschke of EXIT International. Only one such VAD was carried out. In 2024, a 64 year old American woman died using the Sarco in the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. The local prosecutors immediately declared it to be “incompatible with Swiss law”. That case is still in progress. In the meantime, all activities of The Last Resort have been suspended.
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