Mandate

The strategic committee of the national health policy dialogue awards a mandate to the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) every five years. According to the mandate for 2021-2025, Obsan carries out the following activities in particular, with the involvement of partners at federal and cantonal level:

• Existing data and information on the health of the population and on the health care system are processed, analysed and interpreted.
• Health data are linked with the goal of overarching analyses.
• Scientifically reliable and relevant healthcare information and analysis results are edited and published in a user-friendly way.
• The results are made available in various forms so that health policy planning and decisions can be supported, measures, health services and care structures evaluated, problems in the system identified and the population’s health problems highlighted.
• Where there are gaps and deficiencies in existing health data, improvements and innovations in data collection and registers are proposed.

Obsan does not itself conduct statistical surveys with the primary purpose of producing and diffusing public statistics; however, data collection in the sense of one-off surveys is possible. Obsan focuses on the use of existing data and provides support in improving the data basis.

Main content

• Health reporting
• Indicator monitoring
• Health system
• Mental health
• Age and long-term care
• Health professionals
• Costs and financing