The trends of recent years show that the healthcare system is becoming increasingly international. The Swiss hospital sector is faced with facts such as rising healthcare costs, quality controls and patients who seek treatment abroad at low cost. In order to remain internationally competitive, the quality of hospitals must be made more transparent, the Swiss domestic market must be opened up and the specialization of hospitals must be promoted.
Although Switzerland has discovered the international healthcare market, it is only partially exploiting its potential. A study by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute shows that Switzerland has great potential as a healthcare destination. Health resorts are particularly predestined to care for foreign patients, as they combine cutting-edge medicine and rehabilitation treatment in addition to the anonymity they offer. Around 30,000 people from abroad already come to Switzerland for treatment every year. There are many Swiss hospitals that are trying to make targeted use of the advantages of internationalization.
If there are no changes in the Swiss healthcare market in the near future, the Swiss healthcare system will be overtaken by foreign competitors in the long term, despite its advantages, the excellent quality of treatment, good care and high availability. This is because patients abroad already receive cheaper and high-quality treatment in some cases. In order to keep up in this international comparison, Switzerland must be able to attract foreign patients with high-quality and unique premium offers and retain local patients. This goal can be achieved if hospitals specialize in certain fields and the quality of treatment is made more transparent on a national level. The latter will automatically lead to the desired reduction in costs.
