Referring to a study showing how the quality of healthcare in the UK has deteriorated after Brexit, a Swiss MP is warning that the same will happen in Switzerland if the hard-right’s immigration-curbing proposal is approved in a referendum.
The study in question, carried out by the German Institute for Future of Work Research, analysed the impact of Brexit on the British healthcare system.
It found that the end of the free movement of persons agreement has left many medical facilities in the UK without qualified staff, and positions are now being filled by less-trained individuals from non-EU countries.
The study reported that Brexit is having a significant impact on UK’s National Health System (NHS): with stricter immigration rules for EU citizens, the quality of care is declining and mortality is rising.
What does this have to do with Switzerland?
‘A wake-up call’
For a Green-Liberal MP Patrick Hässig, who is a registered nurse in private life, “these results should be a wake-up call for Switzerland because the same scenario could happen here.”
Hässig is referring to the ‘No to 10 million’ initiative launched by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which will be voted on in a referendum in 2026.
It seeks to drastically reduce the influx of foreigners to Switzerland, so that the country’s population doesn’t exceed the 10-million mark, which the SVP claims will significantly overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
READ ALSO: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti immigration proposal aim to do?
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‘Devastating for Switzerland’
According to Hässig, if the SVP’s proposal is approved at the ballot box and the government moves to curb immigration from the European Union, “this would be devastating for Switzerland.”
That’s because a high proportion of healthcare workers in Swiss hospitals consists of EU nationals: one in three nurses and nearly half of all doctors are foreigners (with this proportion, Switzerland is well above the OECD average of 19 percent).
“These are the people who keep our healthcare system running,” Hässig said, and “if we abolish the free movement of people, we will plunge an already overburdened system into chaos.”
“We will then have to honestly tell patients that their care will be longer and of lower quality,” he added.
What’s more, such a restriction “would also represent a direct risk to patient safety. Therefore, the SVP’s initiative is not just a health risk, but it actually puts people’s lives at risk.”
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Fewer immigrants
This cautionary tale does not seem to worry SVP deputies who had instigated the proposal in the first place because, they say, a limited number of foreign nationals would still be allowed to work in Switzerland.
For instance, party MP Thomas Matter told The Local that the SVP “has always advocated for managed and moderate immigration. Unfortunately, today almost anyone can come to our country, regardless of whether there is actually a shortage of skilled workers or not.”
“For us, immigration must be managed according to the interests of the entire economy,” Matter added.
The same message comes from another SVP deputy, Thomas Aeschi.
“Immigrants will still be able to come, but in smaller numbers than today,” he said. “If we need more qualified personnel, we can increase the quota.”
READ ALSO: If the ‘no to 10 million’ proposal passes, Switzerland would be stifled
