Covid-19: «Pool tests for all» starting on schedule

As announced, the Hirslanden Group is expanding the «TOGETHER WE TEST» platform to enable people across the country to take part in pooled PCR saliva tests. The pools are randomly compiled from saliva samples submitted by individuals. Certificates will also be issued; these will be valid 72 hours after sample collection. The decision on whether to activate the certification function is in the hands of the respective cantons.

Registration of testing sites

In the first phase, service providers with an interest in joining the pool will be able to register as from 15th October 2021. These will duly be listed as testing sites on the «Pool Tests For All» platform, and may be selected by persons wishing to take a test. According to a federal government decree, service providers approved in line with the ordinance may operate as testing sites. These providers include laboratories, doctor’s surgeries, pharmacies, home care services and test centres. The aim is to cover as much of the Swiss population as possible. Remuneration for the services of testing sites is regulated by the section of the ordinance dealing with tariffs.

Registration and costs

In phase two, persons wishing to take a pool PCR saliva test can register on a specially developed platform as from 1st November 2021.

The cost of a test is set by the government at CHF 36.00 throughout Switzerland. This charge includes the issue of a certificate, which will be automatically dispatched via email in case of a negative result (provided the respective canton has approved the certification function).

Volume of testing on the rise

The number of tests performed in the course of «TOGETHER WE TEST» continues to rise; last week (calendar week 39), more than 160,000 tests were taken. This week, the canton of Thurgau became the 12th canton to sign up to the initiative. The positivity rate of the pool samples analysed currently stands at 1.3%. 

About Hirslanden

The Hirslanden Group operates 17 hospitals in 10 cantons, many of which have an emergency department. It also operates 4 outpatient surgical units, 17 radiology institutes and 5 radiotherapy institutes. Together with public and private cooperation partners, Hirslanden focuses on the continuum of care and the promoting of high-quality, responsible, personalised and efficiently integrated healthcare.

The Group has 2,314 partner doctors and 10,711 employees, 479 of whom are permanently employed doctors. Hirslanden is the largest medical network in Switzerland. In the 2020/21 financial year the Group generated a turnover of CHF 1,796 million (including CHF 12.6 million cantonal COVID-19 compensation payments). As at 31 March 2021, the Group had treated 107,401 patients for a total of 461,004 in-patient days. In insurance terms, the patient mix consists of 51 % basic, 28.8 % semi-private, and 20.2 % private insured patients.

Hirslanden is synonymous with first-class medical care provided by highly qualified medical specialists with many years of experience. As a system provider, the Group stands out from the rest of the market: interdisciplinary medical centres of expertise and specialised institutes enable it to offer the best possible individualised treatment, even in highly complex cases. The Hirslanden Group was formed in 1990 through the merger of several hospitals. Since 2007, it has been part of the international hospital group Mediclinic International plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.