Swiss medical association accused of forcing publishing subsidiary into insolvency

A Swiss medical publisher has ceased operations, including shuttering nationally prominent journals, after its parent organization, the Swiss Medical Association FMH, allegedly forced it into bankruptcy.

According to information on the website of EMH Swiss Medical Publishers, the Swiss Medical Association FMH holds a 55% stake in the firm. But on Aug. 22, 2024, the FMH’s board terminated its collaboration with the publishing house, including licensing for the association’s journal Schweizerische Ärztezeitung (Swiss Medical Journal), with immediate effect. 

“In doing so, [the association] deprived its own company of its livelihood. EMH filed its balance sheet today and thus opened bankruptcy proceedings,” the publisher said in a notice posted on its website on September 4, 2024.

The publisher had previously announced the move by its parent organization meant it had to discontinue the following journals immediately: 

• Swiss Medical Forum 
• Primary and Hospital Care 
• Swiss Archives of Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Swiss Medical Informatics

It would also close down its website www.swisshealthweb.ch, the firm said. The site was a major source of conflict with the FMH, which in an Aug. 15 media statement said the IT project was too expensive and did not meet the needs of the association’s members. 

Yvonne Gilli, president of the FMH, told us by email:

The FMH regrets that further magazines can no longer be published due to this development. However, the licence rights to these affected journals are held by Petri Holding, not by the FMH. The FMH is therefore unable to make any statements about their future. However, the FMH is prepared to work on sustainable solutions for these journals on request.

One of the affected titles, the Scopus-indexed Swiss Archives of Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, is more than a century old. It has featured works by such academic luminaries as Carl Gustav Jung, Eugen Bleuler, Hermann Rorschach and Michel Foucault, according to Daniele Zullino of Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, who was co-editor-in-chief of the publication until it folded.

“Everything stopped now,” Zullino said. “We don’t know what will happen.”

The Swiss Archives of Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy was the only psychiatry journal in Switzerland, a country known for its contributions to that field, and among the most widely read medical journals there, Zullino added. “So we have to relaunch it.”

Other physicians in Switzerland echoed Zullino’s regret.

“From a researcher point of view, it is really sad to see the Swiss Archives of Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy vanishing, as it is a well-respected and Scopus-listed journal,” said a physician-researcher in Switzerland, who asked to remain anonymous. “To cancel all papers under review also seems to be an unusual decision, and I am unsure what happens to accepted, but not yet published papers.”

In the Aug. 26 notice on its website, the soon-to-be erstwhile publisher added: 

Right up until the very end, we had tried to resume constructive discussions with FMH. With its decision, which was contrary to the contract and surprising to all of us, FMH is obviously knowingly accepting the break-up of its own subsidiary and 27 years of successful development and cooperation. As a result of FMH’s decision, all 35 EMH employees will lose their jobs. This is not only incomprehensible, but also socially irresponsible, as the impending liquidity shortage has since been addressed by suitable measures.

Like Retraction Watch? You can make a tax-deductible contribution to support our work, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us to your RSS reader, or subscribe to our daily digest. If you find a retraction that’s not in our database, you can let us know here. For comments or feedback, email us at [email protected].