After the heavy workload of the Covid pandemic, the backlog of operations it created and a general shortage of qualified personnel, the challenges of working in Swiss hospitals is becoming too much for some staff, leading them to resign. Aware of this, on 25 January 2023, the Federal Council presented a plan to improve working […]
Eating freshwater fish equivalent to drinking polluted water for a month
A recent US study highlights the high pollution in freshwater fish. The risks are similar in Switzerland, reports RTS. The US study, published on Science Direct, is focused on levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These substances take a very long time to breakdown and persist and accumulate in the environment. The foods […]
Firearms at home linked to Switzerland’s exceptionally high suicide rate
The male suicide rate using firearms is higher in Switzerland than the rest of Europe. According to a recently published report the higher rate could be linked to military weapons in Swiss homes, reported RTS. The report published by a researcher at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands looks at the link between firearm […]
Hospital emergency services at point of collapse in Switzerland, say doctors
Switzerland’s emergency services are at the point of collapse, according to Vincent Ribordy of the Swiss Society of Emergency and Rescue Medicine, reported RTS. The current workload is at an unprecedented level, said Ribordy. According to the newspaper SonntagsZeitung, with nearly 14,800 unfilled jobs, no sector has as many unfilled vacancies in Switzerland as healthcare. […]
No Covid tests for travellers from China entering Switzerland
On 11 January 2023, Switzerland’s government announced that the current epidemiological situation does not warrant compulsory testing for travellers from China. The Swiss Federal Council discussed the latest EU recommendations on the measures to be taken for persons entering the Union by air when it met on 11 January 2023 and decided that travellers from […]
1 in 4 changed health insurer this year
Sharply rising health insurance premiums appear to be a key driver behind 27% of people changing insurance provider in 2022, according to a survey by Comparis. Average premiums for 2023 are 6.6% higher than those for 2022. This sharp rise in premiums was cited as a key factor for changing insurer by 61% of the […]
Sharp rise in mental health problems among girls and young women in Switzerland
Data published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week show a sharp rise in the number of young people being admitted to hospital for mental and behavioural disorders in 2020 and 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, hospital admissions for mental and behavioural disorders rose by 26% among girls and young women aged 10 to […]
Covid: Swiss government extends free vaccinations to end of 2023
On 16 December 2022, Switzerland’s federal government extended the provision of free Covid-19 vaccinations until the end of 2023. The government said that vaccines are a key element in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and offer good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation. Therefore, Covid-19 vaccinations will be reimbursed by the federal government if they are […]
Switzerland set to introduce stiffer penalties for noisy drivers
In 2019, noise was estimated to cost Switzerland CHF 2.8 billion, most of which (67%) was attributed to health. Around 80% of this was related to road noise. The government would like to reduce the problem and the Federal Council requested a commission look into it this week, reported RTS. The number of complaints related […]
Swiss hospitals postponing non-urgent operations
The ever increasing cost of Swiss healthcare does not translate into prompt service. Despite spending more Switzerland is suffering from a shortage of healthcare workers. And this is leading to the postponement of certain operations in some cantons, reported RTS. In French-speaking Switzerland, the hospital system is under strain. In the cantons of Fribourg, Bern, […]
