There are several reasons why health disparities have not received as much political and professional interest at
the national level as elsewhere. First, health inequalities are not considered to be significant in comparison to
other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries; second, it is still difficult to
obtain detailed statistical information about the epidemiological situation and health outcomes of the Swiss
population as a whole, and for its different regional and socioeconomic subgroups in particular; and third,
health inequalities are seen more as the responsibility of regional authorities (cantons or communes) than of
the federal government, making them much less visible at the national level.