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Debate over patient record handover

Monday, 24 August 2026 06:35

Vaud MPs are about to decide whether to hand the canton's hospital patient records to an American company — a switch critics call a strategic error over data sovereignty

Debate begins next week on adopting Epic, already used in Zurich, Bern and Lucerne, to replace the ageing system at the CHUV and eleven other Vaud hospitals. Opponents warn the US Cloud Act could expose Swiss patient data, and say local Swiss alternatives were sidelined despite Vaud's Health Valley credentials.

The initial bill runs above CHF 200 million, though an amendment would use a CHF 63 million share of Swiss National Bank profits to ease hospitals' burden. Committee support was narrow, and the plenary vote is not expected to split along the usual left-right lines.

 

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