Hospitals fined after failing to report faulty equipment
Three hospitals have been fined for buying defective medical equipment from Pakistan and failing to report the matter to the national supervisor.
The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic ProductsExternal link (Swissmedic) confirmed to the Swiss news agency that it had issued CHF5,000 ($5,150) fines to the university hospitals at Zurich and Basel and the cantonal hospital of St Gallen.
The products included cannulas for heart surgery on babies and other equipment that was partly rusty, bent, broken or contained metal splinters. The Pakistani equipment was distributed by a now defunct company in the canton of Zug, which is also being investigated by Swissmedic.
The situation came to light when Swissmedic searched the offices of the supplier firm last year. The fines were issued in July, but they have only just come to light in an article in the Tages Anzeiger newspaper.
Should any of the hospitals repeat this infringement, they could be subject to a fine of CHF50,000.
The hospitals told the Tages Anzeiger that they were tightening up their procedures following the fines.
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