The Upper Engadine votes on regional healthcare on 27 September

The health council of Sanadura has approved the funding message for healthcare in the Upper Engadine. The vote was 9 in favour and one against. The popular vote is set for 27 September and involves the electorate of the region's eleven municipalities.

The package is worth 28.5 million francs and covers the three years from 2027 to 2029. The largest share, 16.9 million, goes to the hospital in Samedan. The two nursing homes Du Lac and Promulins receive 9.9 million. The Spitex home-care service gets 490,000 francs and the running of Sanadura 1.2 million.

Approval requires two conditions. At least six of the eleven municipalities must say yes, and the package must win a majority of votes across the region as a whole.

A recently created body

Sanadura has been operating since 1 April 2026. It is run by a seven-member board of directors chaired by Michael Rolaz, and by a health council of eleven members, one for each municipality.

The president of the health council, Isabel Wenger, commented on the decision. «Siamo molto fiduciosi di aver preparato un buon pacchetto, con un'ampia gamma di servizi sanitari con un costo corretto» (We are very confident that we have prepared a good package, with a broad range of health services at a fair cost), she said.

September's ballot is not the first. Since April 2025 the population of the Upper Engadine has already voted three times on healthcare funding.

The two precedents are not encouraging for the project's supporters. In 2025 voters rejected the merger with the cantonal hospital in Chur. In November of the same year they turned down a two-year proposal worth 51 million francs.

Compared with that text, the package now going to the vote carries a lower overall figure and covers three years instead of two. Whether the new approach is enough to convince six municipalities and a majority of the region's voters remains to be seen.