Shortage of skilled workers in emergency department: Glarus has to rely on private paramedics

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Anyone experiencing an emergency in the canton of Glarus today or in the coming weeks may not be admitted by the emergency services of the Cantonal Hospital Glarus (KSGL). But from a car belonging to the private emergency service Regio 144, based in Rüti ZH.

Reason: KSGL rescue service is currently experiencing staff shortages. “Südostschweiz” in Regio 144’s press release adds that 3.4 of almost 22 full-time positions are vacant.

Regio 144 generally only covers the Zurich Oberland and Linth region in case of emergency. At least until the end of May, a team will be available from 7am to 7pm in case of emergency in the canton of Glarus and in St. Petersburg of Amden, Weesen and Schänis, where the KSGL rescue service is responsible. Gallen will take care of their communities. During the remaining hours, two teams from Glarus are on duty.

No loss of quality in rescue service

KSGL director Stephanie Hackethal (50) assures that the speed and quality of emergency services will be maintained. Vehicles of Regio 144 in St. It is controlled from the same emergency center in St. Gallen. Regio 144 is also a member of the Inter-Rescue Services Association, which brings together Switzerland’s renowned rescue services.

It is unclear whether the necessary personnel will be ready for KSGL by the end of May. Hiring suitably qualified new employees is “challenging,” according to Hackethal.

No wonder: The hospital director estimates that the overtime hours accumulated in emergency rooms over the past few years amount to between 6,500 and 7,000 hours for the entire team. As a result, an increasing number of employees were unable to attend work due to illness. Some employees were looking for a new job for personal reasons. Others were not prepared to work any more overtime.

The association addresses the shortage of skilled workers

When asked by Blick, Inter-Rescue Services spokesman Nicolas Soldieri explains that it is not uncommon for emergency services to rotate staff or vehicles to cover bottlenecks. But the problem of bottlenecks has become much more urgent recently: “Due to population growth and an increasingly aging society, emergency services have to carry out more and more tasks and are also increasingly in demand at night.”

Staff increases do not occur gradually. “Training to become a paramedic in Switzerland is at a significantly higher level than in neighboring countries, so additional staff cannot be easily recruited there,” says Schlachti. At the same time, the three-year degree offers few career opportunities: “Professional mobility must be better for paramedics.”

The association is taking the problem seriously, currently creating a central database and launching pilot studies to solve the problem of skilled worker shortage. Thus, there is no critical bottleneck in the rescue service.

Source :Blick