Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

NGO demands health worker pandemic probe

Doctor puts on protective gear
Not enough is known about the impact of Covid-19 on health workers, says Amnesty International. Keystone / Pablo Gianinazzi

Amnesty International is calling on the Swiss government to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on health workers, so as to better protect them.

The NGO, together with trade unions and a healthcare organisation, will send an open letter to the federal authorities in a few weeks once it has collected signatures from health workers.

By July, some 230,000 health professionals had contracted Covid-19 worldwide, says Amnesty International. But figures for Switzerland are not available, it complains.

“In Switzerland health care workers were exposed to a greatly increased risk of infection. But there is no precise data on the consequences of the pandemic for this occupation,” the NGO states. “Reliable data is required to enable appropriate measures to better protect health workers.”

In July, healthcare workers complained that they were being charged by canton Bern for expired and mouldy masks.

Conditions for health professionals in some countries have exposed them to unnecessary risk, says Amnesty International. It now wants an independent investigation to determine the situation in Switzerland.

It wants the probe to determine whether Covid-19 should be classified as an occupational disease for those treating virus victims and to show how much support healthcare workers received during the pandemic.

The letter is supported by two trade unions, VPOD and Unia, and the Swiss Association of Care Workers.

Coming soon Lost Cells A podcast uncovering the human stories behind private stem cell banking's promises and failures. Get notified

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Grand Prix Art for art casters, artists and architects

More

Winners of top Swiss art award announced

This content was published on Felix Lehner, Pamela Rosenkranz and Miroslav Sik have been awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim 2025.

Read more: Winners of top Swiss art award announced
Watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

More

Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

This content was published on The watch industry had to contend with a weakening of its exports last year, which reached a volume of CHF25.9 billion ($28.5 billion).

Read more: Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR