National Council wants to give GPs more support
Published: Thursday, May 30th 2024, 12:30
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The National Council wants to provide more support for GPs. The large chamber adopted a motion to this effect by Jacques Nicolet (SVP/VD) on Thursday, which called for a revision of the individual service tariff for doctors.
158 National Councillors voted in favor of the motion, 20 opposed it and eleven abstained.
Basic medical care provided by a GP is generally more cost-effective. As the patient is known to the doctor, unnecessary multiple treatments can also be avoided. "But there is a lack of doctors for primary care," said Nicolet in the Council.
An upgrading of GP medicine in the tariff area is of central importance. It is an important prerequisite for ensuring that more prospective doctors opt for family medicine rather than individual specialties. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) had already objected to the overpricing of specialist interventions.
Coverage in primary care is not only linked to the issue of tariffs, according to the Federal Council. It is also necessary that a sufficient number of GPs can be trained, said Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. A program to promote training in the field of family medicine should increase the number of graduates.
Although the Federal Council supports the motion's demand in principle, a revision of the Health Insurance Act is not necessary. The Federal Council therefore rejected the motion. It is primarily the task of the tariff partners to work out and adjust the tariffs.
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