Switzerland faces serious consequences of the shortage of specialists in the health sector, a leading house doctor has warned, with “massive problems” predicted in the next two to three years.
There are no longer enough doctors – either in hospitals or practices – to care for the Swiss population, Philippe Luchsinger, president of the Swiss association for house doctors and paediatricians, said in an interview with Tamedia newspapers on Saturday.
“The public must be prepared for the fact that in future there will be a waiting time of several months for an appointment with a family doctor or a clarification with a specialist,” he said.
Triage will therefore exist, Luchsinger said. “We will have to turn away patients with minor illnesses because we no longer have time for them. As a result, we might miss treating a disease in its early stages.” This would be drastic in the case of cancer, for example, he said.