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Zürich«Doctors have never observed so many tumor diseases»
Because of the corona pandemic, many patients postponed their check-ups. Doctors warn that serious diseases such as cancer are therefore discovered too late.
In addition to the medical staff in the hospitals, the offer in the outpatient area is also scarce. Family doctor practices are running at the limit and are having to turn away more and more new patients.
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Mario Fasshauer is the managing director of the Zurich patient center. He explains what effects the shortage of skilled workers and the pandemic are having on patients.
zvg Mario Fasshauer
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Zurich’s hospitals and family doctor’s surgeries lack skilled workers.
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Due to the lack of time and specialist capacities, check-ups have been postponed since the outbreak of the corona pandemic.
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As a result, tumor diseases in patients were often only discovered at an advanced stage.
Tense situation in Zurich’s emergency departments: “Since the summer, the number of patients in the emergency departments of Zurich hospitals has increased significantly,” says Ronald Alder, deputy manager of the Zurich Hospitals Association (VZK). “This, in combination with the scarce staff situation on the medical and nursing side, is a major challenge for the hospitals.”
Together with the canton, the hospitals therefore asked the population to get out of non-life-threatening situations contact your family doctor first. But there is also a shortage of appointments for general practitioners, because: “There are clearly too few general practitioners,” says Reto Wiesli, director of the Swiss Association of General Practitioners.
No capacity for new patients in family doctor’s practices
Mario Fasshauer, manager of the Zurich patient center, can confirm this: “A person has contacted us again whose family doctor is retiring. The patient called several general practitioners, but due to capacity reasons, no practice has been able to accept the woman so far. » This is a symbolic example that the patient center in the Zurich area has to experience more often.
Corona would have made the situation even worse for the patients: “With every wave, examinations that were not urgent were put back on the back burner.” Many check-ups, especially for early cancer detection, have been postponed. This had devastating consequences: “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, doctors have never observed so many tumor diseases in advanced stages,” says Fasshauer.
The family doctor will usually tell you about the preventive medical check-ups. But those who can no longer find a place in a family doctor’s practice and are only treated in emergency practices or wards are advised acutely and not preventively. The patients do not find out at what age which measure – for example for early cancer detection – should be carried out.
Loss of trust due to lack of time
Fasshauer sees the problem in the system: “In the economics of the Swiss healthcare system, the consultation time during which patients can ask questions, among other things, is very short.” This unsettles the patients and could lead to negative consequences in the long term.
Fasshauer regrets this development, which has become increasingly acute over the years: “People are losing confidence in a healthcare system that has well-trained professionals, but who in turn have no time for their patients.”