Emergency chief alerted: Swiss hospitals on the brink of collapse

The pandemic still has an impact on various areas of life, but has not led to a sustainable improvement in working conditions in the health system: Yvonne Ribi of the Association of Nursing Professionals SBK tells the SonntagsZeitung. As a result, numerous employees of the industry are turning their backs: “Since the beginning of 2022, we have noticed an exodus from the profession.” At the moment, 300 nurses leave the profession every month.

And that is currently the biggest problem in healthcare. Because despite the pandemic, many young people still choose an internship in care. In 2021, the intake in programs was even above average. But because 40 percent of nurses leave the teaching profession after only a few years, the relatively high number of trainees is not sustainable.

The trends that have been recognized for a long time make the situation particularly precarious at the moment, as Vincent Ribordy, Switzerland’s top emergency doctor, says in an interview with the “SonntagsZeitung”: “We are on the verge of collapse.” The pressure has been enormous for weeks, and because it is permanent, the longer it is, the more dangerous it is, as the risk of error on the part of nurses, but also doctors, increases. For Ribordy it is clear: “It can’t go on like this.”

The lack of staff and the overload would have visible consequences, Ribordy continued. Although people in a life-threatening situation can continue to be treated, there is a need for more triage: people who are not in acute danger are referred to the general practitioner and the length of stay of patients is kept as short as possible. This also increases the chance of errors.

According to Ribordy, people’s mindset is one side of the problem: “It needs to be rethought. People need to realize that they don’t have to go to the emergency room for every little thing, but that pharmacies and GPs can help in many cases.”

The even more important reason for the precarious situation, according to the emergency doctor, is the lack of staff at all levels. General practitioners, nurses, emergency care: there is a shortage everywhere. According to Ribordy, this can no longer be compensated: «So far we have been able to compensate the complaint in one way or another. But that’s no longer possible.”