Swiss Review 5/2021

Swiss Review / October 2021 / No.5 6 Focus EVEL INE RUTZ Swiss healthcare is in trouble. Costs are rising, reform is hitting the buffers, and a skilledworkforce is in short supply. Nurses had already been voicing concern before Covid, complaining of poorworking con- ditions and a lack of appreciation. After one and a half years of the pandemic, they are now physically and emotionally exhausted (see also “Swiss Review” 4/2021). But the pressure continues to build, as demographic and social factors aggravate the situation. Forecasts pre- dict that the shortfall in nurses is likely to be around 65,000 by 2030. Employee associations and health experts warn of an emergency – which the “Strong healthcare” popular initiative aims to avert. This initiative will be put to the people on 28 November 2021. Staff attrition Around 214,200 peoplework in the nursing profession in Switzerland – mostly at hospitals (45 per cent) and care homes (41 per cent). The re- maining 14 per cent work in the home care sector. Many nurses work part-time, because the demands of a full-time position are simply too great. Shift rotas make it harder for them to have any sort of private and family life. The work is physically and mentally draining. And cost-cutting pressure across the sector has led tominimal staffing and a focus on efficiency above all else. Nurses often have little time to re- spond to individual needs ormake small talkwith patients. They find it hard to come to terms with the fact that they are unable to do their job theway theywant. Many leave the profession early. A third of those who do so are younger than 35. Foreign workers plug the gaps Never before have there been so many job vacancies in the Swiss healthcare sector. HRdepartments are finding it hard to fill positions and often resort to recruiting people from abroad. At the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Switzerland, for example, 42 per cent of doctors are Swiss, 36 per cent are German and eight per cent are Austrian. However, 86 per cent of the qualified nursing staff are Swiss. The uni- versity hospitals of Zurich and Lausanne, on the other hand, relymuch more on foreignworkers, who account for around 60 and 50 per cent Switzerland has an ageing population with more and more people suffering from complex health issues. This represents an enormous challenge for the country’s celebrated health sector. A dearth of well-trained staff exacerbates matters. People in the nursing profession have a lot on their plate – and are struggling to cope. Swiss healthcare on the brink of intensive care