Switzerland hosts global summit on patient safety

Swiss President and Health Minister Alain Berset in Montreux on Friday. Keystone/cyril Zingaro

At a two-day summit in the Swiss city of Montreux, hundreds of experts and some 80 delegations from around the world discussed patient safety and quality of care.

The summit was hosted by Swiss President Alain Berset, and attended by World Health Organization (WHO) boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Swiss Interior Ministry said on Friday.

At the summit, Ghebreyesus said that poor conditions in hospitals are a major cause of mortality around the world.

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Estimates reckon that around 3 million people each year die due to unsafe conditions in hospitals – as many as in road accidents. Most such deaths happen in developing countries, and many are avoidable, experts say.

The Covid-19 pandemic also highlighted that such problems exist in developing countries, Berset said. In certain rich countries, up to a quarter of all coronavirus infections were contracted in hospitals.

Berset added that the pressure on staff both during the pandemic and still today also increased the possibility of mistakes happening in hospitals.

In November 2021, Swiss voters approved a plan to boost training and working conditions for nurses in the country. Staff shortages remain however, and many nurses are still being recruited from abroad.