Switzerland wants to reimburse Italy for the treatment of Crans Montana fire victims and is sending invoices to the families to verify the data. Rome calls the move shameful.
Switzerland will seek reimbursement from Italy for the treatment of Italian citizens injured in the New Year’s Eve fire at the Crans-Montana ski resort, where 41 people died. This was stated by the Swiss Social Insurance Office quoted by Reuters.
But the demand for reimbursement has strained relations between Switzerland and Italy, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calling the move “disgraceful” on Friday, responding to media reports that families of fire victims had been billed for treatment in Switzerland.
The reaction of the Swiss authorities
In a statement to Reuters, Switzerland’s Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) confirmed on Saturday evening that Switzerland plans to recover the costs of hospital treatment, but not directly from the victims’ families. He specified that according to the valid agreements between the EU states and Switzerland, the victims will receive an invoice only for verification purposes. The treatment costs themselves will be charged to the “relevant foreign health insurance company”. The spokesman then clarified that in the case of Italy, it is the Ministry of Health there.
Meloni said on Facebook on Friday evening that if such a “disgraceful request” for reimbursement of expenses was officially made, Italy would reject it. At the same time, she expressed hope that the reports about this are not based on the truth and that the Swiss authorities will demonstrate a responsible approach.
Cost details
Switzerland is demanding more than 100,000 Swiss francs (more than 108,000 euros) for the treatment of four Italian citizens who were hospitalized for one day after the fire, Italian Ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado told ANSA.
At the same time, Cornado added that the Swiss patients injured in the fire were being treated in a hospital in Milan for several months and that Italy sent a civil protection helicopter for rescue work, while not asking for reimbursement of costs.
