The public have also given a solid backing to the nursing profession. Over 60% said yes to an initiative which gives the profession stronger rights and better pay enshrined in the constitution.
The initiative demands the government train more nurses, as there’s currently a chronic shortage and a third of all nurses working in Switzerland are foreign. Without change, the Swiss Health Observatory estimates there’ll be 65,000 vacancies by 2030.
The new law will also allow nurses to bill insurance companies directly in some cases without the need of a prescription.
The government and parliament were urging voters to say no – and had in place a counter offer which would have freed up a billion francs for more training. But clearly, voters felt that didn’t go far enough.
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