Switzerland’s residents can test the new electronic ID before it is officially launched; medical association raises alarm over the growing number of foreign doctors practicing in the country; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
Public invited to test Switzerland’s new electronic ID
The e-ID Act was passed by the parliament on December 20th, 2024, thereby establishing the introduction of the state-recognised electronic identity document.
From this week, the public can try out how the e-ID and other electronic documents will work in the future, the Federal Council announced in a press release.
“Individuals and public authorities can now develop their own electronic credentials on a secure infrastructure on a trial basis,” the government said.
People wishing to test e-ID must download the ‘swiyu’ app to their smartphone, after which they can obtain a fictitious proof of identity (beta ID).
“The test environment will continue to evolve and expand its service offerings until the official launch of the e-ID and trust infrastructure,” sometime in 2026, according to the government.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about Switzerland’s future ‘electronic-ID’
Medical association sounds alarm about growing number of foreign doctors in Switzerland
Over 41 percent of physicians currently working in Switzerland completed their medical studies abroad.
With this proportion, Switzerland is well above the OECD average of 19 percent.
Almost half of the foreign doctors — 49.4 percent — come from Germany, followed by Italy (9.7 percent), France (7.1 percent), and Austria (6 percent).
The reason for this phenomenon is that, according to the Swiss Medical Federation (FMH), “we have trained far too few doctors in the last 20 years. This is now becoming apparent.”
However, dependance on foreign countries is risky, said FMH’s head Yvonne Gilli, pointing out that if these doctors decide to return to their countries, Switzerland will experience a massive shortage in this field.
READ ALSO: How Switzerland’s health service depends on foreign doctors
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Geneva airport to inaugurate a direct flight to Shanghai
This new destination will be served by China Eastern airline from June 16th, the airport announced on Wednesday.
These flights are scheduled to operate four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a departure from Geneva at 12:00 and an expected flight time of 11:30.
Return flight is scheduled for 1:30 am on the same days, with arrival in Geneva at 7:50 am.
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Revealed: Switzerland’s favourite (Swiss) brands
Which companies enjoy the best reputation among Switzerland’s consumers?
The answer comes from a new survey carried out by Gfk Business Reflector and NielsenIQ.
Based on the findings, these are the top-10 brands:
Twint (payment system)
Zweifel (chips and other snacks)
Ricola (throat candy)
Migros (retailer)
Lindt&Sprüngli (chocolate)
Coop (retailer)
Digitec Galaxus (online merchant)
Cantonal banks
SBB (railways)
Geberit (sanitary products)
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
