contents
Merely delivering letters and parcels – that was in the past: the mail continues to spread. This causes divided reactions.
Swiss Post already takes care of the IT for five out of seven providers of the electronic patient dossier. She now wants to take over the sixth and largest provider Axsana at the end of September, as she announced on Tuesday.
A sensible purchase, says Post spokesman Erich Goetschi: “We have been transmitting information securely and trustworthy for 170 years. It is logical that we are involved in the healthcare system with sensitive digital data.»
Legend:
The Swiss Post is still on a shopping spree: The federal company wants to buy the majority of a provider of electronic patient files, as the Post announced. Most recently, she had also acquired software companies and an advertising provider.
Keystone/Elia Bianchi
The electronic patient dossier has hardly caught on. In the future, however, it should be standard: doctor’s reports, X-rays, medication plans – everything should be stored there. It is therefore highly sensitive data.
But it doesn’t need Swiss Post for that, says Andrea Caroni. The FDP Vice President and Council of States sharply criticizes the yellow giant. «IT services are recognized to be excellent for private individuals, and better than the state in general. Therefore, there is no reason for the Post to offer ordinary IT services and spread like an octopus.”
It would be good for Switzerland if Swiss Post, as a public company, had control over such sensitive information.
No octopus – the post office offers a “digital public service”, replies the SP Vice President and National Councilor, Jon Pult. He even wishes that Swiss Post would operate the IT of all providers for the electronic patient dossier. “It would be good for Switzerland if Swiss Post, as a public company, had control over such sensitive information.”
Yellow giant under pressure
But bourgeois politicians want to rein in the yellow appetite for further company acquisitions in the IT, logistics and even advertising sectors. A few months ago, a parliamentary majority decided that it wanted to restrict state-owned companies. Exactly how is open.
As a state-owned company, the post office now has an advantage over private companies, says Caroni: “It has a long way to go when it comes to borrowing and sometimes has monopolies. If the state is going to act like this, it should at least do it with the same spear.”
cover losses in basic services
The Post counters that it works without subsidies and uses profits on the free market to cover losses in the basic service, especially in the mail. There is backing from the Social Democrats: National Councilor Pult sees no problem if the postal service competes with private companies.
“From the point of view of the individual company, that can be a nuisance,” admits Pult. In the end, however, the question is simple: “Do we want a post office that can penetrate the digital public service and thus guarantee the basic service on its own – or do we want to finance it with tax money in the future?”
You have to think about whether there should be a separation between economic activities and the basic service mandate of the Post.
Tax money for the post office is certainly not in their interest, says Pult to the address of the commoners. Judith Bellaiche does not want to get into this argument: the green-liberal national councilor heads the IT industry association “Swico” and thus represents private postal competitors.
Bellaiche suggests splitting up the post: “You have to think about whether there should be a separation between economic activities and the basic service mandate.” The latter could then be state-funded. “But private activities must be liberalized.”
Split the mail? Rather questionable whether the majority will be able. The front of the Post critics is very broad – but when it comes to solutions, it quickly gets cracks.