class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>
A training offensive, better working conditions and more autonomy. Nurse specialists in hospitals, homes and at Spitex have high expectations of the nursing initiative.
With an impressive 61 percent yes vote, Swiss voters accepted the initiative almost two years ago. Patrick Hässig (44) can still remember voting Sunday at the end of November 2021. “It was huge,” says the nurse and GLP politician from Zurich. “This result was a relief.”
The industry accuses the federal government of violating the Constitution
Hässig now sits on the National Council. And the joy has given way to disillusionment. As a first step, Parliament and the Federal Council have tackled the training offensive and the new billing rules for nursing staff. The changes are expected to come into effect next summer. But the Federal Council’s plans are causing a stir among nursing staff.
The professional association of nurse specialists (SBK) accuses the government of violating the constitution. The association criticized the Ministry of the Interior’s plan in the consultation as ‘counter-intuitive’ and ‘unfeasible’.
The stumbling block is the proposed new billing rules. The nursing initiative requires that a nurse specialist at Spitex can now declare certain services directly to the health insurer – without the intervention of a doctor. But the Ministry of the Interior now wants to restrict this. After a certain period, a doctor will have to be engaged again, and the federal government also wants to link independent billing to strict professional experience requirements.
The Federal Council should step up the pace
GLP state councilor Hässig is angry. He accuses the Federal Council of not taking the implementation of the healthcare initiative seriously. He now calls on the Federal Council to show its colours.
The new SP Council Member Farah Rumy (32) is also putting pressure on the initiative. The trained nurse specialist works as a teacher for aspiring nurses. Rumy accuses the Federal Council of taking too much time in implementing the second part of the healthcare initiative.
Although time is of the essence given the shortage of nurses, the government did not define the key points for improving the working conditions of nursing staff until more than a year after the people voted yes. The pace gives the impression that the government is “not sufficiently aware of the urgency,” Rumy criticizes.
“Every month is one too many”
This is about the core of the problem, says Patrick Hässig. Many nurses leave the profession after just a few years because working conditions are poor. Concrete proposals on how to make nursing professions more attractive will be presented in the spring.
Hässig hopes that things will then progress. As a politician he can understand that implementation takes time. “But for me as a nurse, every month that it takes longer is one too many.”
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
