In 2009 I realised an investigative TV documentary about a complicated issue concerning the Minister of internal affairs, complementary medicine and its coverage by the Swiss obligatory health insurance. The federal government had financed with 6 millions Swiss Francs an evaluation programm (Programm Evaluation Komplementärmedizin PEK) consisting of literature reviews, descriptive studies of CAM practice in Switzerland, and further studies, analysis’s. In 2005 the main results of the evaluation were made available and the ministry accordingly wiped out any coverage of such methods. It came out, though, that big problems had surrounded such a unique program, some of them highlighted by this consensus paper of its international review board. Our investigation took place in 2009 and tracked back all around the PEK, interviewing the protagonists and consulting a big amount of papers, data. We found out that something had gone wrong with the experts’ conclusion and that the minister must have had something to do with that, or had been very naif. I confronted him with such allegations and unfortunately he lost his temper, kicking out our TV team from his office. The accident was reported by Swiss media, including a satyrical TV program. A list of studies issued of the PEK program are available for download. The current situation of CAM insurance status, after a number of events, is to read in this article (in English) by swissinfo.ch
Studio scientifico unico al mondo, il PEK doveva stabilire se cinque discipline della medicina alternativa fossero Economiche, Efficaci e Adeguate – e dovessero quindi essere rimborsate dal sistema sanitario svizzero. Nel giugno 2005 il Ministro della salute Pascal Couchepin annunciò: i risultati del PEK dicono che non possiamo pagare per queste terapie. Quattro anni dopo, l’inchiesta di Falò ha riaperto il caso mettendo in discussione la decisione del ministro. Che durante l’intervista perde le staffe e caccia la troupe dal suo ufficio. I media svizzeri-tedeschi ci vanno a nozze e la trasmissione satirica Giacobbo/Müller ha realizzato una parodia sull’episodio: un finto collegamento in diretta con il finto ministro, che perde le staffe.
di Serena Tinari e Harry Häner. camera: Angela Meschini, Mark Müller. suono Andy Schniepp, Dieter Hell. montaggio Marianne Quarti. sonorizzazione Roberto Leuzinger. hanno collaborato Elena Luzio, Barbara Schilling.
- TV documentary, Italian, Falò RSI, 29.04.2009
- Shorter version, Mise au Point RTS, French, 03.05.2009
- lo studio PEK, dal sito dell’Ufficio federale salute
- The Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger 06.05.2009, Tages Anzeiger, “Couchepin: Hauen Sie ab!”
- der Beobachter: Mit einer Mauer diskutiere Ich nicht (I don’t discuss with a wall)
- EDITO L’interview impossible, affaire symptomatique de l’évolution du journalisme d’investigation