In order to attract more workers into the Swiss healthcare system, a hospital in Zurich has offered a bonus for their workers of up to 8.000 Swiss francs if they are able to find new employees. As a new wave of COVID hits across the country, hospitals in Basel are even calling for untrained assistants and volunteers to help take the strain.

Hirslanden Clinic will pay workers to find new employees

At the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich, a poster outside the ward reads “Do you know professionals who are looking for a new challenge? Then share relevant jobs with them or tell them about it.” The hospital is now offering a bonus of up to 8.000 Swiss francs for any employee who can refer and recommend someone for a position at the clinic. 4.000 Swiss francs would be given as a finders fee and another 4.000 after one year of employment.

Canton Zurich reported that it had no spare ICU capacity on Wednesday, amid a new spike of coronavirus across the country. Officials from hospitals throughout Switzerland have said that staff shortages are forcing hospitals to close off capacity, making the situation worse.

An estimated 10 percent of healthcare workers left their jobs in 2020, and a spokesperson for the hospital, Claude Kaufmann, said the new campaign was necessary as the healthcare sector is struggling to fill vacancies. Charlene Bär, from recruitment agency Care21, agreed, saying that the practice is not uncommon and that a simple job advertisement is often not enough to get the right candidate.

University Hospital Basel calls for volunteers to help

University Hospital Basel made the call on Monday to ask the public for temporary employees, trained or untrained, to perform “auxiliary nursing activities to relieve pressure on the wards.” They said the “temporary supporters” would be employed on an hourly basis and used when needed the most.

Last week, Canton Basel Stadt recorded 1.318 new cases, especially high considering its small population. Officials from Basel say stress in the hospital is running high and that they have had to expand their COVID-19 ward to accommodate more patients.

A spokesperson for the hospital, Caroline Johnson, said, "At the moment we are grateful for any support." Johnson praised the first turnout of volunteers, saying she was happy with the responses she had so far, and that each applicant would be assigned according to their education and qualifications.