Geneva: patients’ rights at a snail’s pace

More than a thousand days of waiting for a decision. In Geneva, the administrative supervision of medical professions suffers from scandalous delays in processing files. Requested on this point by State Councilor Pierre Maudet, the Court of Auditors delivered an embarrassing observation.

We are not talking here about the time taken to submit a report on the sharpening of pencils in the administration. But people who are victims, or consider themselves to be victims, of medical errors or non-respect of their rights as patients.

When a complainant reports a malfunction to the Health Professions Surveillance Commission, he will wait on average 210 days for the investigation of the file to begin. Then the case will “stagnate”, in the words of the Court, for more than 400 days in subcommittee. Add 540 days for the case to reach the commission itself, and you will have aged three years.

Insufficient staff

In addition to insufficient staff, magistrates note the absence of specialized software and adequate processes. A victim of medical error can certainly file a criminal complaint. But not all cases of non-respect of rights are suitable for this. Furthermore, the Geneva criminal proceedings are also reminiscent of the slithering of the snail rather than the running of the cheetah…

A better equipped and reorganized commission would not only represent progress for patients. It would be a service to the doctors, health professionals or institutions involved: it is not normal to remain subject to a procedure for years.

Requesting this analysis, Pierre Maudet can now try to restore the effectiveness and meaning of the commission.

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