The number of doctors is increasing in Switzerland. Although men remain in the majority, the proportion of female doctors in 2017 was higher than the previous year, according to the Swiss Medical Association.
Last year, some 39,900 doctors – 58% of whom were male – worked in Switzerland, the association revealedExternal link on Wednesday. While the number of male doctors increased by 0.9%, the number of female doctors rose by 3.9%.
The average age of all doctors was 48.4, although a difference existed between those in stationary medical care (including many assistants studying in hospitals), which was 43.4 and those working in ambulatory treatment, which was 54.8.
Women were in the majority in the under-40 age group as well as among medical students.
The Swiss Medical Association stressed that more doctors needed to be trained in Switzerland, pointing to the fact that many doctors heading for retirement work much more than 40 hours a week, in addition to the increase in part-time work.
Just over a third (34.1%) of doctors in Switzerland are not Swiss, with most foreign doctors coming from neighbouring Germany (54.4%), Italy (8.6%), France (6.5%) and Austria (6.1%).
More
More
Study finds Swiss hospital doctors earn huge salaries
This content was published on
Chief physicians at Swiss hospitals earn up to CHF2.5 million ($2.7 million) per year, a study has found.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
One in five Swiss children suffers psychological abuse at home
This content was published on
In Switzerland, one in five children suffers psychological violence, and one in three has witnessed psychological violence between parents, says the association Kinderschutz Schweiz.
Swiss government minister breaks silence over Trump remarks controversy
This content was published on
Transport Minister Albert Rösti explained himself in a television interview on Sunday evening, after being called out for expressing support for Donald Trump.
Swiss Covid expert calls for caution on vaccination recommendations
This content was published on
The head of the vaccination commission would be “even more cautious today” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
140 Swiss doctors earn over a million via health insurance
This content was published on
The figure was revealed by the director of Santé Suisse (the umbrella organisation of healthcare insurers) Verena Nold when interviewed on the Infrarouge programme on Swiss public television RTS on Wednesday. According to Nold, this would translate to a salary around the million-franc mark, taking into account administration costs that could be as high as…
Doctors in Switzerland increasingly swamped by admin work
This content was published on
Swiss doctors are spending less time with their patients and more time with their paperwork, according to a study released on Monday.
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.