by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch
December 11, 2013 – 17:00

Three years after the launch of of the government’s Migrant Friendly Hospitals project, questions have been raised about how health institutions responded to the needs of immigrants and vulnerable groups.

The project had been launched as part of a comprehensive programme for health and immigration, to better manage Switzerland’s diversity in the health sector, and to offer fair treatment for all.

Now experts are also examining to what extent health institutions have lived up to the policy of non-discrimination for all residents in Switzerland, regardless of their legal status, cultures or origins.

A national conference in the capital Bern recently laid out a vision for expanding and developing the programme, which has so far been joined by five major hospitals.

The objective of this project is to “ensure that all social groups receive appropriate treatment”, says Serge Houmard of the Federal Health Office.

“It requires a successful communication process that overcomes the barriers of languages and cultures, enhancing the cross-cultural expertise and qualifications of employees in the sector, and encouraging research and investigation into issues related to health and immigration,” he explains.
Vulnerable groups

The programme has tried to take into account the results of a field study. It had revealed that foreigners and vulnerable social groups generally suffer from different problems that deny them access to necessary health services.

Many of these foreigners are at an educational and social level below the general population average, and their wages are lower than their Swiss counterparts. They are also more affected by poverty and unemployment.

At present, about 200,000 people in Switzerland do not understand any of the four national languages. There are about 700,000 Swiss residents with a mother tongue other than a recognised national language.

This leaves many of them in a desperate need for assistance during a stay in hospital, and requires adaptation of services and maintaining communication channels. This is indeed what Swiss hospitals seek to provide.
Tailored services

In cooperation with several specialist non-governmental organisations, canton Vaud is offering a package of services, including freeing up a group of male and female nurses to follow up on the health conditions of residents at asylum seekers’ centres.

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Interpreters are being used by some hospitals (INTERPRET