This event examines a defining feature of Switzerland’s federal health system: 26 cantons, 26 hospital lists and 26 needs-based plans. Hospital planning falls primarily to the cantons, which coordinate among themselves and plan jointly for highly specialised medicine, while the federal government increasingly shapes the legal framework.
Does cantonal autonomy deliver tailored, needs-based care, or does it lead to costly overcapacity, unequal care quality and harder cooperation? The evening brings these perspectives together: Lukas Engelberger, President of the Gesundheitsdirektorenkonferenz (GDK) and head of Basel-Stadt’s health department, and Patrick Hässig, National Councillor and GLP Vice-President, open with short talks before joining Dino Cauzza, CEO of Swiss Medical Network, for a panel discussion, followed by an apéro.