Franco-Swiss healthcare: what proposals can be made to improve the shortage of healthcare workers on the French side?

An initial discussion offered an overview of the tensions regarding human resources in the health sector on the border. The shortage of healthcare staff is exacerbated in border areas such as the French Genevois because of their proximity to Switzerland. In fact, the attractiveness of salaries, demographic growth and the rising cost of living generated by this proximity are increasing the pressure on the human resources available in the medical sector. The consequences of this pressure are significant and have a negative impact on healthcare provision on the French side of the border.  

A second session highlighted the strategies and approaches used on both sides of the border to build loyalty among healthcare staff, with initiatives involving a number of actions: measures to upgrade and promote training, work on housing or childcare schemes for healthcare staff, improving the quality of management, etc. 

The final session explored the complementarities and prospects for further Franco-Swiss cooperation in the healthcare sector. A number of actions were discussed by the participants and speakers, including the proposals put forward by Christian Dupessey, Mayor of Annemasse and President of the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT): cross-border funding of nursing training institutes, experimentation with appropriate housing schemes, cross-border solidarity in the health sector in times of crisis, and development of new cross-border care pathways (paediatric oncology, psychiatric emergencies, etc.). 

Find out more about the proposals of the Metropolitan Pole of the French Genevois.