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‘The Swiss government must make lifesaving drugs affordable’

Swiss health NGO Public Eye has launched a campaign calling for Swiss authorities to combat the exploding cost of lifesaving medications by taking on the pharma companies.

Published: 22 May 2018 20:37 CEST
'The Swiss government must make lifesaving drugs affordable'
File photo: Depositphotos

The lack of access to medicines is no longer simply an issue for poorer countries but is now also a problem including for rich nations like Switzerland, the organisation stated in its Protect patients, not patents report.

Read also: Health insurer 'must pay childbirth costs of blacklisted patient'

In the report published on Tuesday, Public Eye blamed the “current pharmaceutical pricing model, reliant on patent-based monopolies” for the problem of ballooning of medication prices, singling out the high costs of new cancer therapies.


One of the videos released by the Public Eye campaign (in English).

“Thanks to patent monopolies, pharma firms can basically set practically prices as high as they want,” said the organisation, noting “the cost of research and development remains one of the best-kept secrets in this very profitable industry”.

Read also: Analysis – how can Swiss health insurance be made cheaper?

Public Eye, together with the Swiss Cancer League is now calling for the Swiss government to fight price hikes for medications and to recognise the legitimacy of using so-called compulsory licensing when this is in the public interest.

Under compulsory licensing, generic medications can be distributed despite an existing patent.

“By resorting to compulsory licences, the Swiss Federal Council can restore the balance between the interests of an extremely profitable industry and public health needs,” the health NGO said.

Public Eye also called on Switzerland to stop bowing to big pharma's “aggressive lobbying” by imposing diplomatic pressure on other countries such as Thailand and Colombia wanting to protect public health through compulsory licensing.

“If we do not stop this trend, only the most privileged will be able to afford these [new cancer] drugs. Millions will die and millions will be left behind,” said the NGO of the current situation.

The organisation now hopes to collect 10,000 signatures with an online petition.

Swiss President Alain Berset on Monday recognised the problem of expensive medications: “We have to find a balance between company research, public research and market conditions, where investment pays off,” he said.

Currently, medicine costs account for 20 percent of all money paid into Switzerland's compulsory health insurance scheme, according to Public Eye.

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Taxes to work permits: Who deals with what in Switzerland?

Like other countries, Switzerland too is a bureaucracy, where various government agencies oversee different functions of public and private life.

Published: 25 January 2024 14:56 CET
Taxes to work permits: Who deals with what in Switzerland?

Unless you are a hermit and live off the grid, you will, sooner or later (probably sooner), have to deal with administrative processes of one kind or another.

In this respect, Switzerland is no different from any other nation, with the only difference being that because it is small and well-organised, the bureaucratic machine is running smoother here than elsewhere.

On the plus side, because it is fairly efficient, dealing with various public entities is probably less of a hassle in Switzerland than in less tidy administrations.

If you are a foreigner, especially a newly arrived one, you may not yet be familiar with the workings of various government agencies — in other words, who does what.

The first thing to know is that very few tasks that are likely to affect you personally are done at the federal level; most administrative processes are handled by cantons and municipalities.

These are some of the most important services, and who is responsible for providing them:

Pensions: federal and cantonal

The Federal Department of the Interior regulates and supervises obligatory pension plans, while the Federal Social Insurance Office implements the scheme.

Your pension, however, will be paid by your canton’s social insurance office. 

Work / residence permits: cantons

Permits are delivered by your canton, though the application procedure is different depending on whether you are an EU / EFTA national or a citizen of a third country.

Cantonal authorities are also responsible for renewing / extending expiring permits.

Taxes: cantons

As the cantonal tax office calculates how much taxes you owe in any given year, your declaration must be sent to cantonal authority. 

They will collect the cantonal, federal, and municipal taxes, distributing the money proportionally among them.

Driver’s license / car registration: canton

Anything related to driving — tests, licenses, vehicle registrations, and inspections — is the responsibility of cantonal automobile services. 

Health insurance subsidies:canton

If the monthly premiums of your obligatory health insurance (KVG / LaMal) exceed 8 percent of your income, then you may qualify for subsidies (premium reductions) from your  canton of residence.

You can apply for them here. 

READ ALSO: How do I apply for healthcare benefits in Switzerland?

Social aid: canton and municipality

Welfare assistance comes under the responsibility of your canton, which will consider your application and determine if you are eligible for financial help.

However, you should submit your application for assistance to your municipality, which will then transfer it to the cantonal welfare office.

As you can see, most public services are managed by cantons, so you may be wondering what is the role of your local municipality / commune?

They do their share as well.

For instance, they manage a register of residents, organise and maintain their own fire brigades, civil defence units and police forces (the latter two mostly in bigger communes).

They are also responsible for schools on their territories, as well as local energy supplies, municipal roads and parking, waste management, and infrastructure planning and upkeep, among other tasks.

READ ALSO: What exactly does your Swiss commune do?

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