Federal Council wants a national action plan for disaster medicine
The Federal Council has taken note of the report on the realignment of the Coordinated Medical Service (KSD). It has instructed the DDPS to continue this and to submit an action plan for the National Disaster Medicine Network (KATAMED) to the Federal Council by the end of 2026. This should help the Confederation, cantons and healthcare stakeholders to manage exceptional situations in the healthcare system in a coordinated manner.
With the reorganization and renaming of the KSD to KATAMED, the National Association for Disaster Medicine, the partners in the Swiss healthcare system are to be better prepared for exceptional situations. In line with the vision "Together. Stronger. Help.", a KATAMED network is to be created.
The remit of this network includes the management of exceptional situations in the healthcare sector. These include major events, disasters, emergencies and armed conflicts that affect several cantons, the whole of Switzerland or neighboring countries, that result in a large number of patients or that have particularly serious health consequences.
Continuation of work on the realignment of the KSD
The Federal Council has taken note of the corresponding report by the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) on the realignment of the CPS. The report forms the basis for prioritizing the measures to be implemented in the KATAMED network. The Federal Council intends to continue work on the realignment of the KSD. It has instructed the DDPS to submit a national KATAMED action plan by the end of 2026.
This action plan should include the development of concrete measures, the quantification of the required human and financial resources and the clarification of financing and implementation responsibilities between the federal government, cantons and third parties. Proposals for action plan measures in the fields of education, leadership and training, incident and emergency concepts, resources for coping (personnel, logistics, strategic patient distribution and infrastructure) have already been developed with the KATAMED monitoring committee and will be further elaborated for the preparation of the action plan. The KATAMED monitoring committee consists of representatives from the federal government, cantons, professional associations and healthcare institutions. It contributes the diverse knowledge of the partners in the National Association for Disaster Medicine KATMED.
It is planned to revise the national KATAMED action plan every five years and the implementation of the measures will be reviewed annually. The action plan will also be used as a basis for examining whether the legal basis needs to be amended. The action plan will be prepared and planned using the existing structures of the Swiss Safety Association (SVS).
Detailed concept for medical protection facilities by the end of 2028
The Federal Council has also instructed the DDPS to draw up a detailed concept for the medical protection facilities by the end of 2028, as set out in the FOCP report on the realignment of the CPS, and to demonstrate the financial and personnel implications of the concept. The concept includes the use of the protected medical stations for basic care of the population, while seriously injured patients are transferred to the existing twelve hospitals with trauma centers.
Source: babs.admin.ch
