BERN, SWITZERLAND – The number of doctors who are not Swiss rose above 25 percent in 2011, according to figures published recently by the Swiss Federation of Medical Doctors, and that has some politicians worried, reports RTS, Swiss public TV and radio.
In some disciplines the number of foreign doctors outstrips Swiss ones, but in an article in Le Temps in June 2012, a Geneva specialist points out that the problem is not that they are foreigners, but that in practice it is often hard to judge their clinical qualifications.
Switzerlnnd has been grappling with a shortage of doctors and in late 2011 relaxed the rules for opening new practices.
Members of parliament are calling for additional language and/or training for doctors who obtained their degrees elsewhere, saying it’s necessary in order to maintain the very high quality level of Swiss medicine.
Switzerland in 2011 had 30,849 doctors for a population of about 8 million.
