University Hospital Basel and Bethesda Hospital take the next step in their successful partnership

The two hospitals have been working closely and successfully together for several years in orthopaedics and other specialist areas. This collaboration has proven itself beyond all expectations and demonstrates that the strengths of the two hospitals complement each other perfectly. As close partners, they will in future jointly fulfil their responsibility for the health of the population and for all their employees.

From tradition to new strength

The Bethesda Diaconate Foundation is upholding its 100-year tradition of holistic care and nursing for the sick and needy. In view of the challenging prospects in the healthcare sector, the foundation has been looking for a strong partner with a high level of medical expertise with whom it can shape the future of Bethesda Hospital. Following in-depth discussions in a spirit of partnership, the University Hospital Basel (USB) is acquiring the majority of shares in Bethesda Spital AG from the Diakonat Bethesda Foundation. The Foundation remains on board as a significant minority shareholder and continues to bear responsibility for pastoral care on the entire Bethesda campus.

National and international reach

Patients will benefit from a range of services that is unique in the Basel region and ideally harmonised in terms of a graduated level of care. The USB is thus strengthening university medicine in the long term and enhancing its profile with national and international appeal. Bethesda Hospital and its employees will benefit from the concentration of services on the campus and from access to research and innovation. The two hospitals are pooling their treatments in joint centres with supra-regional reach and are further developing their outpatient and inpatient services. These include a musculoskeletal centre (orthopaedics and rehabilitation), a spine centre, a woman & child centre (obstetrics), a pelvic floor centre and a breast centre together with the attending physicians. A new joint outpatient centre is also planned on the Bethesda Campus. This innovative partnership will create one of Switzerland's largest providers of spinal surgery, obstetrics and breast surgery. By working together, the two hospitals will jointly achieve higher case numbers in the aforementioned specialist areas, which will increase the quality of treatment and safeguard university medicine in the region. At the same time, the co-operation partners prevent an increase in volumes by strictly defining the indications. The Competition Commission is still in the process of finalising the implementation.

Together and with mutual respect into the future

The USB and Bethesda Hospital are sending out a strong signal with this partnership: they are serious about integrated care and are fully committed to cooperation between a public and a private hospital. In doing so, they are supporting the political will for efficient and high-quality healthcare. They are taking the path to the future together and developing their respective strengths in mutual respect. By taking this step, the USB and Bethesda Hospital are helping to shape the healthcare region of Northwestern Switzerland. Employees, attending physicians and doctors in private practice will benefit from the possibilities and opportunities arising from the partnership. They will be involved in the future development. One of the first steps will be to set up a joint, extended training and further education programme, which will help to secure the next generation of academics.