Over 41 percent of physicians currently working in Switzerland completed their medical studies abroad.
With this proportion, Switzerland is well above the OECD average of 19 percent.
In 2023, there were 16,590 foreign physicians working in Switzerland, according to a press release published by the Swiss Medical Association (FMH).
While that in itself may not seem like a huge number, it constitutes 40.4 percent of the physicians practicing in Switzerland.
And this figure is not static: it has grown from ‘only’ 9,756 a decade ago.
These numbers refer to all foreign physicians employed in Switzerland, including those in private practice.
And in public hospitals alone, 45.6 percent of physicians were foreign in 2023, according to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Where is Switzerland recruiting doctors from?
For both private and hospital practice, Germany is by far the country that ‘exports’ the most doctors to Switzerland, (50.2 percent of all foreign physicians are from Germany).
Italy comes next with 9.5 percent, followed by France (7.1 percent) and Austria (6 percent).
In terms of just public doctors employed in public hospitals the numbers are also revealing.
In terms of nationalities, most foreign doctors employed in hospitals came from neighbour countries: 19.3 percent from Germany, followed by Italy (5.1 percent) and France (3.1 percent).
Other nationalities make up nearly 17 percent of hospital doctors in Switzerland.
The reason for this is simple and pragmatic at the same time: these physicians not only speak one of the national languages, but they are also EU nationals, which means they can work in Switzerland with no problem.
That’s because the agreement on the free movement of people allows the recognition of diplomas from EU and EFTA states, though doctors coming from those countries must still obtain an authorisation to practice in Switzerland.
Why has this been happening?
At least part of the answer lies in the general shortage of qualified personnel that has been plaguing many sectors of Switzerland’s economy — including healthcare.
“This increased need to call on foreign specialised personnel reminds us that there are not enough doctors trained in Switzerland to cover needs,” the FMH said.
"We have trained far too few doctors in the last 20 years. This is now becoming apparent,” it said.
Medical experts have been sounding the alarm about this scarcity.
According to FMH’s president Yvonne Gilli, Switzerland is training too few doctors, which will create a “healthcare gap” and have dire consequences in the near future, especially since more people are living longer and are developing chronic illnesses.
READ ALSO : Why Switzerland faces dire problem of doctor shortages
Another reason for alarm, Gilli said, is that dependance on foreign countries is risky, because if they decide to return to their countries, Switzerland will experience a massive shortage in this field.
Are Swiss doctors required to speak English?
Most physicians working in Switzerland have some level of English proficiency, ranging from basic to fluent because much of medical literature, as well as some exams, are in English only.
However, the only official requirement set by both the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the FMH is that doctors practicing in Switzerland must speak the language of the canton in which they work (which is why physicians from Germany, Italy, France, and Austria are recruited) .
Nowhere in the official requirements list, however, is there any mention of the obligation to be proficient in English in order to be able to practice medicine in Switzerland.
READ ALSO : Do all doctors in Switzerland have to speak English?
And if you are new in Switzerland and are looking for a physician, this article will provide useful information:
READ ALSO: What you should know about finding a doctor in Switzerland
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