“Switzerland: How to Retain Healthcare Talent” by Cristina Lete

How are medical professionals trained within the Swiss healthcare system?

As citizens, we often take the healthcare we expect to receive for granted. We become frustrated by waiting lists, long hours in emergency departments or care that does not meet our expectations. However, we rarely ask ourselves who takes care of those who care for us.

My time at Cery Hospital in Lausanne gave me first-hand insight into a model in which training and working conditions directly influence the attraction and retention of medical talent. Beyond salary, I saw how rest is protected, work-life balance is supported, and young doctors are guided through supervision, progressive responsibility and multidisciplinary teamwork. In the setting I experienced, on-call shifts were limited to a maximum of 12 hours, and overtime was recognised accordingly. This has a positive impact not only on professionals' well-being, but also on the quality of patient care.

Moving abroad is never an easy decision: it means leaving behind family, friends, familiar places and a life you have built. That is why, if we want to prevent the loss of talent, we must ask ourselves not only how much we pay our doctors, but also how we train, organise, value and care for them.

What can Barcelona learn from the Swiss model to retain young doctors?

Barcelona cannot solve on its own a problem that affects the Spanish healthcare system as a whole, but it can address many of the factors that influence a doctor’s decision to stay in the city: working hours, supervision, work-life balance, job stability, recognition and opportunities for professional development.

It can also strengthen its appeal as a city in which to build a medical career. Access to housing, mobility, integration, and opportunities for training and research are all part of the environment that shapes both professional and personal decisions.

It is not about copying the Swiss model, but rather learning from what works and adapting it to our own context. Training a doctor requires years of investment, effort and public resources; losing that doctor afterwards because of unattractive working conditions comes at a cost to the entire healthcare system.

Barcelona is home to world-class hospitals, universities, research centres and professionals. The challenge is to ensure that this talent finds the opportunities and the right environment here to grow and build a long-term career.

Read the full article here.

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