SWITZERLAND Trends and Developments Contributed by: Tobias Meili and André Berne, Wenger Plattner
ucts. In addition, market access to novel and innovative therapies in veterinary medicine is to be guaranteed. Other current legislative revisions Effective 1 January 2025, the principle of volun- tary blood donation has been codified (Article 33a of the TPA). It forbids any remuneration or advantages associated with blood donations, aligning with the principle of voluntary donation for organs, tissues and cells already established in the Federal Constitution. In addition, a prohibi- tion on discrimination has been established to guarantee that individuals cannot be barred from donating blood due to their sexual orientation (Article 36(2bis) of the TPA). Furthermore, the amendment to the Federal Ordinance on Research Involving Human Beings (the “Human Research Ordinance” , or HRO) came into force in November 2024. It is aimed at enhancing the protection of research partici- pants and improving research conditions, espe- cially via digitisation. Consent may now be pro- vided electronically (new Article 8c of the HRO) and further amendments have been made, inter alia, to meet data protection and data security requirements (Article 4(1)(d) of the HRO). Finally, researchers are to engage pertinent demograph- ic groups – such as women and the elderly – more extensively. Another significant legislative revision that came to an end recently is the uniform financ- ing of inpatient and outpatient medical servic- es regulated by the Federal Health Insurance Act (HIA), which was approved by referendum on 24 November 2024. Thus, starting in 2028, outpatient and inpatient acute services will be uniformly financed, with care services to follow four years thereafter. To date, 55% of inpatient expenses have been jointly financed by the can-
tons (ie, the taxpayers) and 45% by health insur- ance funds (ie, the premium payers). Conversely, outpatient expenses have been entirely covered (ie, 100%) by health insurance funds – something that has led to misplaced incentives. An unnecessarily large number of inpatient treatments have been carried out, even though outpatient treatments would have been often medically more appropriate and less expensive. Hence, both methods of treatment will in future be financed according to a uniform distribution mechanism. Implementation of the Care Initiative As in other Western countries, the population of elderly citizens in Switzerland is rising. The population of persons aged 100 and above has increased from 61 in 1970 to 2,086 in 2023, according to a survey recently published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. The demo- graphic ageing of society is concurrently esca- lating the demand for nursing personnel. As the population of elderly persons rises, the preva- lence of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions – as well as increasing multimorbidity – is expected to increase in the forthcoming years. This exacerbates the current shortage of qualified care staff in the healthcare sector. In November 2021, 61% of Swiss voters approved an initiative to improve working con- ditions for care staff (the “Care Initiative” ) and hence mitigate the shortage of care staff. As a result of this initiative, legislative measures will be implemented to: • enhance the training of care staff at the ter- tiary level; • enhance the granting of care degrees by higher technical colleges ( Höhere Fachschu-
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