Prevention in the workplace: BAG must save

During implementation, care will be taken to ensure that the work and basic services for strategically important areas, such as digitalization, cost containment and security of supply, as well as the monitoring and control of communicable diseases, can continue. However, from 2026, the FOPH will only be able to perform certain tasks to a reduced extent or will have to give them up.

In recent months, the Federal Council and Parliament have made various austerity decisions that have led to direct cuts in the FOPH's budget. In addition, temporary resources allocated to the FOPH, such as those for improving the systems for monitoring and combating communicable diseases, will expire this year. Corresponding funding is needed to continue this work. In addition, the FOPH has been assigned various new tasks in recent years without being allocated the necessary resources, for example in connection with security of supply. The resources required for these strategically important areas must therefore be redistributed internally. As a result, the FOPH can only perform other tasks to a lesser extent or has to give them up.

In order to be able to carry out the strategically important areas and the tasks and legislative proposals newly assigned to the FOPH, as well as the work to implement popular initiatives, there will therefore be cuts elsewhere. From 2026, these will amount to a total of CHF 11 million per year. The cuts affect various areas with which the FOPH has so far been able to make an important contribution to strengthening public health.

The task waiver concerns, for example, the database for paediatric medicinal products (SwissPedDose), the continuation of the Biomedical Research Masterplan, prevention in the workplace, prevention in healthcare and equal health opportunities.

There are reductions, for example, in the areas of radiation protection and chemicals as well as in the area of health and accident insurance in the review of existing services with the Health Technology Assessment program (HTA) as well as the review of medications and the inclusion of new services. There are further reductions in the implementation of the national strategies for hospital and nursing home infections (NOSO), vaccinations (NSI) and sexually transmitted diseases (NAPS), including the LOVE LIFE campaign.

The elimination of certain tasks will lead to a reduction of 19.5 full-time equivalents (FTE), which in certain cases will involve redundancies. Accordingly, it is important to the FOPH to implement the job cuts in as socially responsible a manner as possible with a social plan.

The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) has informed the Federal Council about the implementation, while the FOPH has informed the employees affected and the social partners.

Source: BAG