An annual report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which looks at the financial state of Swiss hospitals, also predictsExternal link that 5,500 doctors will be needed, and that staff shortages are also possible in support functions like IT and human resources.
The reasons for the future shortfall include demographic trends (i.e. the ageing population), increasing numbers of patients with comorbid conditions, and the stagnating numbers of immigrants with health-care skills coming to Switzerland.
Cost shock
The report also paints a bleak picture of the post-pandemic financial situation in Swiss hospitals – “only a quarter [of which] are really healthy”, PwC’s Patrick Schwendener told the NZZ am Sonntag. Inflation, staff demands for salary increases, and rising energy costs risk sending many hospitals into financial difficulties, he said.
Anne Bütikofer, the director of the Association of Swiss Hospitals (H+), told the paper that hospitals and clinics expecting energy bills to rise by between 40% and even 300%, while equipment costs are also predicted to climb by 3-5%. Meanwhile, staff are demanding wage increases of 5% to keep pace with inflation, as well as compensation for what is a demanding job.
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Swiss voters give helping hand to nurses
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Healthcare personnel in Switzerland can hope for a boost as voters decided on a proposal to improve working conditions for nurses.
Both PwC and Bütikofer float the possibility of raising medical tariffs (which govern the standard price of medicine and treatment) to offset the rising costs and to help ensure salaries in the sector remain competitive.
However, a spokesman for Santésuisse – the umbrella group for health insurance providers – told the NZZ am Sonntag that this would merely result in extra costs for consumers; this after authorities recently announced that the cost of obligatory health insurance premiums would rise by 6.6% next year, the biggest increase in a decade.
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Health insurance premiums to take biggest jump in a decade
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The cost of compulsory health insurance in Switzerland is to increase by an average of 6.6% in 2023.
Employees in Switzerland increasingly stressed at work
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The proportion of people in Switzerland who are stressed at work has increased by 5% over ten years, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
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F/A-18 fighter jets will practice take offs and landings on the A1 motorway between Payerne and Avenches in canton Vaud on June 5.
Swisscom finalises financing for Vodafone Italia takeover
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Telecoms group Swisscom has taken the next step in its takeover of Vodafone Italia and secured financing for the deal, the company said on Thursday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Report: Swiss health system still one of the best
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The Swiss heath system is still one of the best worldwide, but the country is lagging behind with its Covid vaccinations, an OECD report says.
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Healthcare costs, the pension system and climate change are the top three burning issues for the Swiss, according to a survey.
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