Hospital concept fails after canton refuses to help fund yearly deficit

Cantonal government has rejected to commit funds to help cover part of a SFr 5.5m annual deficit as proposed in a plan presented by Spital STS AG, the company that runs Saanen Hospital.

The plan - titled the 'The Hospital Simmental-Saanenland concept'. was developed in 2011 and was to turn both Saanen and Zweisimmen hospitals into health centers, each with their own focuses.

Saanen Hospital would have dealt with ambulatory and outpatient services, and Zweisimmen with inpatient acute care. The SFr 5.5m annual deficit was too expensive for Spital STS to shoulder alone, causing it to request that the canton and the municipalities share in the burden. All the municipalities of the Simmental-Saanenland region - with the exception of Niedersimmental - committed to fund a share of the deficit, as long as the canton would do the same. The canton announced in mid-January 2012, that it was unwilling to participate, stating that for political regional reasons, it could not commit to taking on any additional financial commitments.

Municipal President Aldo Kropf estimated that the population in the Saanenland-Obersimmental region grows to approximately 40,000 people during peak season. He believes that to only ensure the health care needs of the year-round population is shortsighted. 'It cannot be that the nearest hospital with acute care is in Thun', Kropf said. A solution needs to be sought.

Comments

[a local foreigner]

Why don't we try and understand the causes of the deficit ?
The Saanen hospital has been operating for many years, and I suppose it has not always been running with deficits.
It is obvious that with the number of older residents and the sports and ski accidents of younger generations, a hospital is needed to still attract people that have other choices than Gstaad.

As the deficit question is here addressed who will finance the maintenance cost of the pharaonic music hall project next to the railway station ?

Gstaad is not any longer an old charming small village to my regret but if the choice has been made to expand, a hospital is even more a necessity than it was. It is indeed a very shortsighted approach to transfer the care out rather than find a solution to the deficit.

Tunnels, central heating, music halls, summer and winter events ... but no hospital ?

[swiss expat]

..and you forgot a dozen+ million sport center and another five star hotel for hundreds of millions and not make money...and they cannot find a measly few millions for at least an emergency hospital and top notch all-weather standby transport facilities to the nearest major hospital?

By the way, there is a hospital in Chateau d Oex one never hears a peep about and in actual fact is even closer to Gstaad than Zweisimmen! http://www.hopital-pae.ch/
The Saanenland farmers can cooperate with their Romands neighbors for making Etivaz cheese, the winter map for skiing shows all the runs from Zweisimmen to the Pays d'Enhaut, promotes the entire region, but for a much needed comprehensive emergency medical facilities, they do not think any further than their cantonal border, just a stone s throw away!

It really boggles the mind, especially when one considers that even in Geneva, on a normal day, it can take close to an hour to get from one end of town to the hospital. And in winter, god forbid, there is snow fall. Nothing moves. Sometimes for nearly a day. In Paris it is not unusual to be 90 minutes or more on the road to get to a specialized hospital from one of the arrondissements.
This is more time it takes to get from the Saanenland via Bulle to the exit Forsthaus in Bern to the Insel Hospital - with all the care you ll hopefully never need...

Maybe the Saanenlaender should spend some time also in Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey and try to reach the hospitals in NYC and then go home and think about their 'predicament'. Lucky spoiled people.