Is healthcare an oasis of prosperity?: “Many people face a shortage of skilled workers every day”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 dXbCZE”>

The Swiss healthcare system is an oasis of well-being. At least it seems so when you read the statements of German nurse Sabine Schröder (50). She has been working as a specialist anesthesiologist in Basel since 2022. Compared to her previous work in Germany, she says: “There is no word stress in Switzerland.”

I’m sorry, what? Isn’t the Swiss healthcare system collapsing? Is there a high level of complaints in Switzerland?

“The German colleague’s assessment is surprising and should not be generalized,” warns Yvonne Ribi (47), director general of the Swiss association of professional nursing specialists (SBK-ASI), in an interview with Blick. There are also cases in Switzerland where one nurse and one assistant are responsible for 20 patients in a surgical ward. Moreover, the fact that Schröder works in a specialized department that envisages a fixed relationship between patients and caregivers can in no way be understood from ordinary wards, nursing homes or nursing homes, or Spitex.

“Worse elsewhere” does not mean “better”

The problem is in the Swiss healthcare system. Research, studies and surveys clearly show that the workload in nursing is extremely high and a large number of people leave the profession or are absent due to illness. “The training numbers do not meet the need in any way,” says Ribi.

Christina Schumacher (44), a nursing specialist at a hospital in Bernese, does not want to leave Schröder’s statements unanswered. “Just because things are worse elsewhere doesn’t mean things are better in Switzerland.” Although he loves his job, he also talks about the stress, the lack of breaks, the impossibility of doing everything he sets out to do every day, things that are humanly and professionally necessary. “A lot is still needed for the situation in the healthcare sector to be as good as Ms. Schröder describes.”

Germany’s situation is no worse than this

But Ribi also questions the seemingly enormous contrast with the German healthcare system. In Switzerland, wages are of course much higher in absolute terms. But: “If you measure nursing salaries against the national average wage, Switzerland is third from the bottom, with Germany in the middle,” says the association’s boss.

Not only that: “When we look at the number of nurses per citizen, we see that Germany is ahead of Switzerland.” In addition, the skills of nurses in Switzerland are more comprehensive than in Germany, which requires more responsibility.

According to Ribi, it is a fact that Germany has “invested a lot in maintenance” in recent years. Additionally, immigration from Germany is decreasing significantly. From the Basel region in particular it is clear that “Switzerland is becoming less attractive for cross-border travelers and some are returning to Germany”. This further increases the shortage of skilled personnel in the health sector.

Maintenance initiative in progress

However, Ribi does not fear that Schröder’s statements will distort the perception of the Swiss healthcare industry. “The numbers and evidence are clear.” It is not permissible to draw conclusions about the state of an industry from one person’s experience. Many people also face a shortage of skilled workers every day because they depend on care services that they have difficulty obtaining.

After all, the implementation of the care initiative begins gradually. But the Swiss healthcare system is still miles away from paradise.

Source :Blick