Zurich Hospital CEO Praises Whistleblower in Heart Surgery Scandal.
University Hospital Zurich CEO Monika Jänicke has publicly thanked the whistleblower who exposed serious irregularities within the hospital’s heart surgery clinic.
In an interview with SonntagsZeitung, Jänicke praised the former heart surgeon who first raised concerns about patient safety and unusual practices at the clinic.
She stated that the whistleblower’s actions “deserve all our respect” because he repeatedly brought attention to the alleged problems despite facing professional consequences.
The whistleblower reportedly lost his job after exposing the irregularities, although Jänicke declined to comment directly on his dismissal, noting that it happened before she became CEO in 2023.
The scandal emerged after an independent administrative investigation uncovered serious failures in the hospital’s cardiac surgery department between 2016 and 2020.
Investigators found that the clinic recorded between 68 and 74 more patient deaths than statistically expected during approximately 4,500 heart surgeries performed over the four-year period.
At the centre of the controversy is Francesco Maisano, who led the clinic during that time before leaving the hospital in 2020.
The investigation highlighted concerns surrounding the use of the Cardioband device, a heart valve implant developed by a company in which Maisano reportedly held financial interests.
Officials are examining whether the use of the device may have contributed to the unusually high mortality rate identified in the report.
Jänicke said discussions regarding compensation for victims and affected families are still premature but acknowledged that the issue could become part of future legal and administrative proceedings.
The scandal has sparked major public debate in Switzerland regarding patient safety, hospital oversight, medical ethics, and transparency in healthcare institutions.
University Hospital Zurich has since introduced stricter compliance systems and governance reforms aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.