Sympany Foundation Day: How does poverty impact health?
The Sympany Foundation Day focused on Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt. The organisation campaigns for adults and children affected by poverty – including with the Healthcare Costs project supported by the Sympany Foundation.
Basel, 25 June 2025 – Poverty causes health inequality and may even endanger health. This year’s Sympany Foundation Day, which was organised jointly by the Sympany Foundation and Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt, highlighted the health situation for people affected by poverty.
Prof. Marc Höglinger (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) presented the central findings of his study “Gesundheit von Sozialhilfebeziehenden” (“The health of benefit recipients”). Dr Paul Seger, President of Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt and former Swiss ambassador, illustrated the various faces of poverty – particularly poverty that is often invisible in Switzerland. The event finished with a panel made up of Prof. Marc Höglinger (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), Martina Saner (Director of Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt), Dr Melanie Nussbaumer (Grand Council Member, Social Democratic Party and Member of the Health and Social Committee for Basel City) and Christian Bachmann (COO of Krebsliga Switzerland). Around 50 guests from organisations in the healthcare sector, associations and authorities attended the Foundation Day and were actively involved in the panel discussion about poverty and health.
Sympany Foundation and Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt help together
Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt supports people in the canton of Basel-City who are affected by poverty. As part of the Healthcare Costs project, it covers urgent bills that these people cannot pay due to their precarious financial situation. For example, it might cover uninsured services, such as dental costs and glasses, or outstanding health insurance premiums that people cannot afford. Winterhilfe Basel-Stadt uses the hardship contribution pledged by the Sympany Foundation and other donations to cover these costs. As a result, residents of the canton of Basel-City affected by poverty can be offered support quickly and without red tape.