Why have non-urgent interventions been suspended?

Hospitals have not performed any pre-scheduled, non-urgent surgeries since the Federal Council has declared the state of emergency on March 16th.

The aim of the suspension of these services was to ensure that all beds and medical staff were available to treat Covid-19 cases.

Why are outpatient treatments allowed now?

With the Covid-19 numbers steadily declining in Switzerland, all the major medical centres now have fewer coronavirus patients to care for. This means they can resume surgeries and interventions which had to be put on hold during the pandemic. 

For instance, Switzerland’s two largest hospitals, Lausanne’s CHUV and Geneva’s HUG, have the backlog of 500 and 1,500, respectively, of previously scheduled surgeries. 

“We will increase the capacity of our operating theatre, resuming approximately 75 percent of our normal activity, prioritising patients according to the urgency and the repercussion of their disease on their health “, CHUV’s director Philippe Eckert said in an interview with the RTS television

What security measures are hospitals implementing to prevent outpatients from contracting COVID-19?

All the medical facilities are following the same safety rules for outpatient consultations and surgeries, such as those displayed on the websites of HUG, CHUV, and university hospitals in Zurich  and Basel.

For instance:

• Only patients who have a confirmed appointment will be allowed to enter the hospital.
• People with appointments must await their turn at the entrance of the building. Control is in place to ensure that the number of people present in the hospital at the same time is limited.
• Consultations are spaced out over time and waiting rooms are redesigned to facilitate maintaining distances.

Also, 'regular' patients will never be in the vicinity of those treated for Covid-19, hospitals pointed out.

 READ MORE: UPDATE: What you need to know about the coronavirus crisis in Switzerland 

Will hospitals still keep beds available for coronavirus patients?

Yes, for instance HUG in Geneva will reserve 130 beds for COVID-19 cases.

“We must be ready to a second wave. The big uncertainty is related to how the population will respect the rules of hygiene after the lockdown”, HUG spokesperson Nicolas de Saussure said in an interview. 

The CHUV too will be ready “in the event of new wave,” the hospital said.