The emergency services at Valais Hospital will be staffed with additional staff in the coming weeks. “Nine full-time equivalents will be dedicated specifically to emergencies” declared Saturday on the RTS Forum program Matthias Reynard, State Councilor in charge of health in Valais. “We experience this situation year after year, it’s always a tense period. With tourism and good weather, the canton of Valais has gone from a population of 350,000 inhabitants to 500,000 these days,” explained the State Councilor in charge of health in Valais.
Hospitals are anticipating this situation by strengthening teams, he recalled. And the emergency staff will be staffed with nine additional positions at the Valais Hospital. The budget has been validated. “But emergencies can’t do everything. “That’s also the message we’re trying to get across.” There are other possibilities than going to the emergency room when it is not extremely serious, recalled the State Councilor. He cites in particular the hotlines, pharmacies or daycare centers, where general practitioners are on call at the emergency site. The population is not sufficiently informed about these options which relieve emergency room congestion, deplores Matthias Reynard.
At the end of 2024, the Valais Hospital communicated that its teams are facing “an exceptional overload situation”. At issue: the number of injuries on the ski slopes and the flu. Services are facing “a massive influx of patients”. Priority being given to vital and serious emergencies, waiting times for mild cases are currently particularly long, noted the Valais Hospital. For non-life-threatening emergency situations, the population is invited to consider other options.
