SGK-N Charts the Course with Downsized Legislation and Clear Funding Regulation

H+ The Hospitals of Switzerland acknowledges the intended purpose of the BGAP to improve working conditions in the field of nursing and to increase career retention. However, the federal government’s legislative proposal overshot this target with counterproductive measures, without a clear funding regulation, and an expansion of bureaucracy. Therefore, the SGK-N's decision to limit the catalog of measures and regulate financing is welcomed, representing an initial step towards a practical implementation.

Financing of Additional Costs via Tariffs

For hospitals and clinics, it is crucial that the additional costs incurred by the new law are also financed. The SGK-N aims to securely establish the funding for these additional costs – through tariffs and with a temporary transitional regulation. Thus, a vital principle is upheld: those who decide on new obligations must also ensure that they are realistically implementable from the time they take effect.

No Counterproductive Measures

For H+, it is clear: improvements in nursing should not be achieved through additional bureaucracy and rigid requirements. Interference in the entrepreneurial freedom of hospitals and clinics is the wrong path. Good working conditions are created in practice through effective social partnerships, not through legal constraints. Therefore, the intention of the SGK-N to resize the catalog of legal requirements is met with approval. By removing some rigid regulations in the area of working hours, hospitals and clinics retain the capability to find tailor-made and flexible solutions for their personnel.

Innovations in the Therapeutic Products Act

H+ also supports the commission's approach in relation to the Therapeutic Products Act (Revision 3a): the present variant establishes essential foundations for medicines for novel therapies and advances digitization in the medication process. Yet, for the benefit to genuinely reach patients, further improvements are needed: pragmatic rules for 'Hospital Exemptions', clear national standards for IT solutions interoperability, as well as cost-covering financing and a realistic transition period for implementation on the part of service providers.

Press Contact:
Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer, Director
Phone: 031 335 11 63
E-Mail: medien@hplus.ch

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