2 May 2016. The St.Gallen Cantonal Government announced at a media conference on Monday that it regards this cooperation as a great gain for Eastern Switzerland. It is very pleased to be able to make a contribution to the fight against the shortage of native doctors with this degree course. On the strength of the cooperation thus envisaged, the Canton of St.Gallen is applying for a contribution from the Confederation’s start-up funding.

The St.Gallen Cantonal Government will do everything to be able to realise new medical student places in St.Gallen with the participation of the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital and the University of St.Gallen. It was for this reason that it launched the “St.Gallen Medical Master” in 2015. Preparations for the establishment of a new medical degree course have been running at full speed in St.Gallen ever since.

On 3 February 2016, the Federal Council granted a non-recurring amount of over CHF 100m for the period of 2017 to 2020 that is intended to be used as start-up funding for additional medical student places in Switzerland. Applications could be submitted until the end of April 2016. If the St.Gallen project is taken into consideration, the Canton of St.Gallen is likely to receive an amount in the low single-digit million range.

This possibility of being able to benefit from the Confederation’s start-up funding has provided the St.Gallen Medical Master project with a boost and accelerated project work. Cooperation with a university was sought, and a strong cooperation partner was found in the University of Zurich. The cooperation project that is now on the table was preceded by intensive negotiations with the University of Zurich, which involved representatives of the University of St.Gallen, the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital and the St.Gallen Medical Master project group. These negotiations resulted in a cooperation agreement with development potential for St.Gallen.

The St.Gallen Cantonal Government is highly pleased with the agreement, which is intended to move the vision of additional medical student places in St.Gallen towards realisation. The cooperation solution is also supported by the Board of Governors of the University of St.Gallen, the Board of Directors of the Hospital Alliance, the senior doctors at the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital and the Medical Society of the Canton of St.Gallen. The Board of the University of Zurich and the Zurich Cantonal Government will discuss this cooperation project in the course of the coming weeks.

“With the establishment of a joint innovative Master’s course in medicine, St.Gallen intends to actively counter the prevailing and increasing shortage of native doctors. In this way, we will be lighting a beacon for Eastern Switzerland,” says Health Minister Heidi Hanselmann. The joint project would make use of the strong points of the Universities of St.Gallen and Zurich, the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital and Zurich’s University Hospitals.

The cooperation project was submitted to the Swiss University Conference (SHK) in good time. “The St.Gallen Cantonal Government is convinced that the cooperation it has negotiated will satisfy the Confederation’s criteria and that the project will receive a contribution from the CHF 100m start-up funds,” says Education Minister Stefan Kölliker. The SHK’s decision about the projects to be considered is expected for early 2017.

With the present cooperation agreement, which was signed by the Universities of Zurich and St.Gallen, as well as by the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital (subject to approval by the Board of the University of Zurich and the Zurich Cantonal Government), the Universities of St.Gallen and Zurich should be able to offer a modern Master’s degree course in St.Gallen. The focus will be on primary medical care and interprofessional cooperation. The Master’s degree will be jointly awarded by the Universities of St.Gallen and Zurich (joint degree HSG/UZH).

“At the University of St.Gallen, it is planned to set up the St.Gallen Medical School. This institute will report to the President’s Board and the University’s Board of Governors but will be financially independent,” says Thomas Bieger, President of the University of St.Gallen. Thanks to this cooperation, it is expected that 40 medical students will study in St.Gallen for the first time in autumn 2020.

The St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital, which already attracts a great deal of attention as an academic teaching hospital beyond the cantonal borders, will become even more attractive for students, staff and patients thanks to this cooperation. “The St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital and the regional hospitals will be able to bring their strong points to bear on the clinical training of future doctors in a perfect manner. We’re convinced that with our experienced faculty members, we’ll be able to help produce an innovative degree course with model character,” says Daniel Germann, the Director of the St.Gallen Cantonal Hospital.

Picture: fmatte / photocase.de