Hundreds of medications have become difficult or impossible to obtain in Switzerland, according to SRF. What is causing these shortages? In around 200 cases, drug shortages in Switzerland are critical and affect some commonly used products, including antibiotics, sedatives, vaccines and medicines for diabetics. A long list of medications subject to shortages can be found […]
Canton of Basel bans sale of certain e-cigarettes after tests
After testing 32 disposable e-cigarettes, the cantonal laboratory in Basel-City found issues with all of them and issued a sales ban on seven, which contain toxic substances, reported SRF. The e-cigarettes were obtained from 12 sales outlets in the city. The problems detected include nicotine above the maximum legal limit, lead in metal joints, toxins […]
The high cost of training Swiss doctors
Switzerland has a shortage of doctors. Training more is one way the government hopes to alleviate the problem. However, the high cost of training and the high level of staff turnover are formidable head winds. In Switzerland, becoming a doctor requires six years of study. At an average annual cost of CHF 120,000, the total […]
Covid – top Swiss doctor urges more vaccination
The top doctor for the canton of Bern recommends that people aged 65 and over and people with chronic illnesses be vaccinated again, reported SRF. Barbara Grützmacher, Bern’s chief doctor, said that there are currently a lot of viruses circulating. The most common are coronaviruses and rhinoviruses. Flu cases are also increasing. And the current […]
Diseases weighing most heavily on Swiss healthcare costs
When many think of costly treatments, cancer springs to mind. However, tumours are only ranked seventh, accounting for 6.5% of Switzerland’s healthcare costs, according to a study published this week. Healthcare spending is particularly high in Switzerland, consuming 11.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, a per capita sum of 7,179 purchasing power parity […]
Rising Swiss health premiums reduce disposable income once more
Since 1999, the cost of health insurance has more than doubled. Basic compulsory insurance is now 2.36 times what it was in 1999, while complimentary optional insurance is up by 30%. Overall, disposable income has been reduced by 5.3% by the rising cost of insurance over the last 25 years. Six of the last 25 […]
Current Covid-19 wave in Switzerland causing less serious illness
Switzerland is experiencing a significant wave of Covid-19 infection, suggest various data. However, a variant like Delta, which caused more severe cases and can easily bypass immunity, has not yet recurred, reported SRF. Wastewater samples suggest a new wave is underway. The viral load in the wastewater in half of the regions where it is […]
New Swiss study on ticks finds nearly all carry pathogens
A recently published study shows 84% of ticks collected in urban areas and 77% of those in rural areas in Switzerland contained at least one non-viral pathogen in addition to a number of viruses. Almost every tick has the potential to make you sick, said Cornel Fraefel, a virologist from the University of Zurich who […]
Price cuts on 350 medicines in Switzerland
With the ever rising cost of of Swiss healthcare, the government has been hunting for savings. This week it announced that it has ordered price cuts on 350 medicines from 1 December 2023, reported RTS. On average the drugs on the list will cost 10% less and deliver an overall expected saving of CHF 120 […]
Switzerland’s birthrate drops sharply in 2022
Statistics published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show an 8% annual fall in the number of natural births in Switzerland. In 2022, there were 82,371 births, down 8.1% from 89,644 in 2021. The recent fall in births follows a rise of 4.3% in 2021 following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. In […]
