Obsan Identifies Disadvantages in the Swiss Health System
Published: Tuesday, Sep 5th 2023, 09:41
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
Back to Live Feed
The Swiss healthcare system is renowned for its high quality, however a recent publication from the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) has revealed that certain groups of people are disadvantaged when it comes to the quality of healthcare they receive. People who are disadvantaged in terms of education, occupation and income generally rate the quality of healthcare lower than those who are not. Additionally, those aged 18-34, those living in single-parent households, first-generation migrants and those with tertiary education are more likely to rate the quality of healthcare as lower. The combination of socio-economic disadvantages increases the risk of people forgoing healthcare due to cost, with almost half of the most vulnerable groups surveyed having done so. 42% of those living in single-parent households reported having skipped a treatment due to cost, and only 27% of those with a chronic illness in single-parent households felt they had received enough support. First-generation migrants often face difficulties communicating in the local language, making it difficult to communicate with their healthcare provider, and those with tertiary education are more likely to report medical errors or conflicting information from different providers. The report recommends that healthcare decision-makers and stakeholders should be more aware of the factors that lead to these disadvantages and the specific needs and expectations of the affected population, and should take them into account when making decisions. The quality of care was assessed in six dimensions: financial access, continuity and coordination, communication with the treating doctor, support received, patient safety and overall evaluation of the performance of the healthcare system. The study was based on data from the International Health Policy Survey, which was conducted in 2020 with 2284 respondents aged 18 and over in Switzerland.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic