A study by the Schweizerische Ärztezeitung has found that 74 percent of newly qualified doctors in Switzerland obtained their medical qualifications abroad. The study confirms that the country is relying on a high number of internationals to fill vacancies in the Swiss healthcare sector - a phenomenon likely to increase as staff shortages in the industry continue.
According to statistics obtained by the newspaper, in the last 10 years, 9.926 doctors in Switzerland were issued with medical degrees from Swiss colleges and medical schools, while 28.525 received qualifications from abroad. This means that around 74 percent of doctors trained during this period earnt their qualifications abroad.
Switzerland has tried to recruit more domestic students to study medical subjects at Swiss universities, and while this number has increased, the number of doctors with foreign qualifications remains significant. 47 percent of new medical specialists hired in Switzerland have a non-Swiss diploma.
The shortage of doctors in Switzerland is not a new phenomenon. In the past few years, doctors and associations representing healthcare professions have complained that the shortage of qualified staff could have a negative impact on the quality of services provided by hospitals.
One positive comes from the perspective of those in psychiatry. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of Swiss students choosing to study psychology with the intention of becoming psychologists and counsellors.