Elevating Healthcare Workers Who Come to Geneva As Refugees

Context

In recent years, Europe has received a great number of people who are fleeing war or famine in their countries. The refugees welcomed to Geneva in 2016 and 2017 include Congolese, Afghans, Eritreans, and Syrians; some among them are physicians and healthcare workers who have university degrees from their countries of origin. Despite their many years of experience, these people have not been able to find work in Switzerland because their medical degrees are not recognized.

Project

This project will provide these people access to complementary training and internships so that they may obtain an equivalent Swiss degree and even the right to practice in Switzerland.

Where do we stand?

December 2025 : Dr. Hermann Kohou completed his medical studies in Côte d’Ivoire and subsequently in Ukraine. After graduating in 2023, he sought refuge in Switzerland with his spouse. Driven by determination and professional commitment, he continued his medical training at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), initially within the Department of Clinical Pathology and later in Primary Care Medicine at Crans-Montana Hospital. Through its program supporting the professional integration and skills upgrading of healthcare workers who arrived in Geneva as refugees, the Foundation reaffirms its ongoing commitment.

project manager

Professor Anne-Françoise Allaz, Beau-Séjour Rehabilitation and Internal Medicine Division, Department of General Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals