Federal Council supports exemptions from admission requirements for doctors
In order to increase the quality and efficiency of medical services provided by physicians, new admission requirements for physicians came into force on 1 January 2022: they must have worked in Switzerland for three years before being admitted to work at the expense of the obligatory health care insurance.
As early as May 2022, the National Council's Social Security and Health Committee (SGK-N) submitted a parliamentary initiative: 22.431 "Exemptions from the three-year duty to work pursuant to Article 37 paragraph 1 of the Federal Health Insurance Act in the case of proven underuse", calling for a relaxation of the regulation in order to prevent a shortage of physicians, especially in certain peripheral regions where it is particularly difficult for physicians who retire to find a successor.
At its meeting on 25 January 2023, the Federal Council decided to support the motion of the National Council's Committee for Social Security and Health, according to which the Health Insurance Act is to be amended accordingly. The measure is limited in time and serves to avoid underprovision in specific areas. Parliament still has to decide on this.