Spital Visp

Visp HospitalFrom monastery to hospital

In 1926, at the request of the church authorities and the municipality of Visp, St. Ursula Convent began construction of an industrial domestic science school. The monastery's missionary work required missionaries who were well trained in nursing. For this reason, the school was converted into a modest private clinic with a nursing school in 1934. At the request of a newly formed interest group, the "Bezirksspital Sta Maria, Visp" (Visp District Hospital) was entered in the commercial register as a charitable association just two years later.

In 1941, the Ursuline community and the supervisory board of the new association signed a purchase agreement, whereby the convent remained co-owner and foundation of the hospital. In view of the long-standing problem of a lack of space and beds, several renovations and new buildings had to be carried out.

In 1953, the first major extension was inaugurated. In 1964, the new nursing school was attached to the teaching hospital in the south. An assistant's house and a chief physician's house were also built. In 1966, preparations for the new west wing began. The construction program for the first stage included rooms for civil defense and disaster relief, an entrance hall, a laundry room, an emergency room, operating rooms, and wards.

The new building was put into operation in 1973. In a second stage between 1981 and 1990, the new east wing and the renovation of the central wing from 1953 were planned and implemented.

Until the end of 2003, the Sta Maria Regional Hospital in Visp/west of Raron/Leuk was an association based in Visp. The members of the association were the municipalities of the districts of Visp, west of Raron and Leuk, as well as a number of natural and legal persons. On January 1, 2004, the Visp Hospital was integrated into the Upper Valais Hospital Center as part of the Valais Health Network.