Healthcare Costs: Should Swiss Hospitals Clamp Down On Expenses?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Many Swiss hospitals are making considerable losses, require millions in government aid and have to cut services. Read up on the topic and join the discussion on the multilingual debate platform "dialogue".

• More from this author
• German Department

• Deutsch de Schweizer Spitäler am Tropf Read more: Schweizer Spitäler am Tropf
• Français fr Le système de santé suisse sous tension: un difficile équilibre entre soins et finances Read more: Le système de santé suisse sous tension: un difficile équilibre entre soins et finances

Most hospitals in Switzerland are struggling financially and making losses. A problem that has been dragging on for years and was exacerbated during the coronavirus pandemic – even though there are fewer and fewer hospitals offering basic care.

Inflation has made the situation even worse, as hospitals cannot adjust their tariffs in line with rising prices. As a result, some facilities had to close, others had to take millions in aid from the state. And staff are also being cut.

One example is the Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, which has been in deficit since 2016 and has an accumulated debt of more than CHF60 million (about $66 million). Although the hospital has initiated a reorganisation, the canton will have to step in until the measures take effect, as Swiss public radio SRF explainsExternal link .

The cantonal parliament has approved a guarantee of over CHF100 million and a loan of CHF70 million for the most urgent investments. However, the voters will have the final say on June 9.

One hospital unit that was at risk of being closed is the paediatric and neonatal intensive care unit in Chur in the canton of Graubünden. However, this sparked a mobilisation of the population, which collected over 30,000 signatures in favour of maintaining the unit at the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital.

As reported by Swiss public television RTRExternal link , the mobilisation reached its goal: the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital can keep its unit, which was considered to be of importance not only for the canton itself, but for the entire national paediatric care network.

The fact that pacemaker prices can vary by CHF10,000 from one canton to another has caused a debate in Ticino. But not just there.

According to Swiss public radio RSIExternal link , this case highlights the very non-transparent system of the medical device market, against which politicians have almost unanimously spoken up.

There's another problem that looms on the horizon for the Swiss healthcare system: one third of medical students want to leave the profession after their first practical experience due to working conditions, as Swiss public radio RTS reportsExternal link .

Lack of human contact, long overtime hours and much time spent on administrative tasks instead of caring for patients often drain enthusiasm for the job.

Switzerland has one of the highest densities of nursing staff in the world. In 2019, it had an average of 18 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants. That's about twice the averageExternal link of fellow wealthy nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

At the same time, hospitals are faced with a shortage of qualified staff, which leads them to increasingly look abroad for suitable personnel. As our in-depth report shows, the situation is tackled with a two-pronged offensive: increasing training and improving working conditions.

This content was published on Feb 22, 2023 Faced with ongoing staff shortages, Swiss hospitals are increasingly seeking out new nurses abroad.

However, it will take time for these measures to show results, while healthcare costs remain a major concern for people living in Switzerland.

Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.

• How Switzerland recruits nursing staff abroad
• Newsletters

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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 ... .

This content was published on May 12, 2020 To mark International Nurses' Day, swissinfo examines the state of health of the nursing profession in Switzerland.

This content was published on Jan 9, 2021 Swiss photographer Valeriano Di Domenico captures the raw images and impressions of the people caring for Covid-19 patients through the pandemic.

This content was published on Feb 3, 2023 Mortality in hospitals may increase even before the maximum number of patients has been reached, according to a Swiss study.

This content was published on Feb 1, 2023 Basel start-up Lyfegen wants patients and insurers to stop overpaying for medicine. Its CEO believes the company has the technology to make it happen.

This content was published on Nov 2, 2023 A survey by the medical association reveals more stress, longer waiting times, and growing concerns about staff shortages.

This content was published on Mar 24, 2023 Hospitals and medical schools are finally coming to terms with the fact that they have a sexual harassment problem.

MENAFN04042024000210011054ID1108060313