Re: [Gnumed-devel] Translation, web needs, Mac OS (was: What's in a name?)

[Dominique Buenzli]

Hi Horst !

> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 06:16, Sebastian Hilbert wrote:
> > > > Wow ! How is medical practice in Germany ? Difficult ?
> >
> > What do you mean by difficult ? We are definetly short of doctors and this
> > will get even more severe. Hospitals are desperate. As for actually
> > practicing *real* doctors can tell you more :-)
>
> Hehehe. When I left Germany more than 8 years ago, we had allegedly an 
> "oversupply" of doctors. Despite "oversupply", I was forced to work 
> ridiculous hours (often 16 hours and more without a break, multiple repeated 
> 24 hours shifts without sleep etc.), the hierarchy tended to treat junior 
> doctors like shit (fortunately not the case in the hospital where I worked), 
> and the pay was ridiculous as well before you became a specialist. Doctor 
> shortage now? They got what they deserved.

Exactly what is happening in Switzerland right NOW ! Fortunately, starting January 2005, there will be a law which doesn't allow working more than 50 hours per week for young doctors in hospitals.
Working times are not the worst though. They have decided since 2 years that no new doctor practice will be allowed to open during 3 years. And they can repeat this decision if they want.

The worst is still coming... It is called "La fin de l'obligation de contracter" (end of the obligation to contract). In Switzerland it is an obligation to have a basic health insurance (everyone has one). 
The insurance company had until now the obligation to refund all the doctors. Patients could choose wathever doctor they wanted.

What they want to do now is to suppress the obligation for the insurance company to refund all the doctors (end of the obligation to contract). This means that each doctor will work for a insurance company. You will have a certain amount of money to spend for your patients each year.
If you are too expensive bye bye you will be kicked out ! If you are a good doctor (means: cheap) you will be able to stay...

This will be very bad for a ethical based doctoring.

I still hope that the swiss people won't accept these decisions...

Dominique