Exactly one year after the first COVID vaccination, the founders and sponsors of the Winterthur Vaccination Center, the Winterthur Cantonal Hospital (KSW) and Medbase, as well as the management of the Vaccination Center, invited the media to a talk and took stock. The bottom line is just under 300,000 doses of vaccine and about ten percent of all vaccinations in the canton of Zurich. The two CEOs Rolf Zehnder (KSW) and Marcel Napierala (Medbase) emphasized that the vaccination center is a successful example of a public-private partnership and that integrated care represents the future of healthcare.
One year ago today, the joint vaccination center of Medbase and Winterthur Cantonal Hospital (KSW) opened its doors on the Rieter site in Winterthur-Töss. Since then, an interdisciplinary team totaling about 700 physicians, nurses, students and other staff have administered nearly 300,000 doses of vaccine on behalf of the Department of Health. That is about 10 percent of all vaccinations in the canton of Zurich. While the initial number was 400 to 1000 vaccinations per day, the number increased to a maximum of 2400 injections by the summer vacations in 2021. After that, the number of vaccinations declined again and leveled off at 1500 to 2000 per day. Only in the period from December 13 to 31, 2021, when the vaccination center had to move to a new building on the Rieter site and lodged as a pop-up in the Rosenberg shopping center, the number of vaccinations fell to 600 per day.
Combating the pandemic with joint forces
Thomas Kraft and his team have done an outstanding job , praises Medbase CEO Marcel Napierala the management of the vaccination center. “Without the extraordinary commitment of everyone involved, the project of Medbase and the Cantonal Hospital would not have worked so smoothly from day one. We can rightly claim that with the vaccination center we have made and continue to make a relevant contribution to pandemic control in the greater Winterthur area.“
KSW CEO Rolf Zehnder adds that the short-term realization was only possible thanks to the good cooperation with the city of Winterthur, the ZHAW, the Center for Healthcare Education ZAG and the House of Winterthur. “In particular, I have to give a nod to the city. She has been very supportive regarding permits, traffic and logistics.“
A forward-looking model – for higher quality and lower costs
In the initial phase, when everything had to happen very quickly, the proactive approach of the two partners was crucial. They founded a joint operating company, Gesundheits- und Impfzentrum Winterthur AG. “For me ,the vaccination center is a very good example of successful cooperation between a public institution and a private company,“ explains Rolf Zehnder. “For me, the private-public partnership is fundamentally a forward-looking model for the healthcare sector. Thanks to synergies at the financial and medical level, we save costs and improve quality at the same time. This can only succeed if a cantonal hospital like KSW is given the appropriate political leeway, which the government council was exemplary in quickly granting in connection with the vaccination center.“
The future of healthcare is integrated
The cooperation between Medbase and KSW is not new. In the Winterthur area, the two partners have been working together for around 10 years. They have already launched various joint projects such as the medical-therapeutic and diagnostic offering at the WIN4 center. “We see our future in integrated care,“ explains Marcel Napierala.“Our strength is to take care of people from prevention to acute treatment and rehabilitation along the entire treatment path. To this end, we at Medbase work interprofessionally between medical centers, pharmacies and dental centers. In addition, we network with other service providers in the healthcare sector – in the Winterthur area first and foremost with the KSW. Our goal is to pool expertise in outpatient and inpatient medicine and work together to promote integrated medical care close to home.“
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