1. Federal exam “EPS EXPERT/-E EN CYTODIAGNOSTIC”:The date for the next exam has been postponed to 2020 and will not place as originally planned in 2019 (https://www.epsante.ch/fr/professions/eps-experte-en-cytodiagnostic/). The excessive administrative costs of the exam led to this postponement. As of now, the Swiss Federation only covers 60% of the exam costs and not as initially projected 80%. This reduction in funding would require the Swiss Society of Cytology to pay for each candidate additionally around 3500 sFr, amounting to a total of 28’000 sFr for 8 candidates. If we have fewer candidates the costs for the society would be even higher. In addition, each candidate will have to pay 2748 sFr to participate in the exam. We are a small society with limited monetary funds, as you are all well aware of, and we will not be able to carry this financial burden. Currently, we are drafting a letter to OdASanté addressing these issues. We feel that the costs of the exam are excessive, amounting to a total of 15’600 sFr for each candidate and we will ask them to reduce costs and increase subsidization.

2. Geneva school for cytology and cantonal diploma Geneva:Jean-Claude Pache and Stephane Trillat of the Geneva school attended the meeting and informed as that due to the existence of a federal exam for cytotechnicians the canton of Geneva will not support the cantonal diploma any longer and stops funding the cytology school. Mr. Stephane Trillat will inform the canton of Geneva of the problematic financial situation regarding the federal exam, which even might lead to its cancellation. Still, the possibility of a Swiss cytology school in Geneva was discussed offering modules of theoretical courses aiming to prepare candidates for the federal exam. The Swiss Society of Cytology will not be able to financially support such a school. Jean-Claude Pache pointed to the possibility of federal funding offered by the public instruction department.

3. Expert letter cervical screening colposcopy group:We received the expert letter of the colposcopy group regarding cervical screening January 24 with the added sentence “the expert letter was drafted in agreement with the Swiss Society of Cytology”. As none of our concerns had been addressed, we asked the colposcopy group to strike this sentence.

4. Working group cytopathology:The next meeting will be held in Zurich, Saturday May 26 from 10:30-12:30 at University hospital Zurich (kleiner Hörsaal Pathologie). The topic will be: Thyroid cytopathology: Bethesda vs British thy classification. Slides will be available online.