Language examination shock: Every second doctor falls through in Saxony!

Language examination shock: Every second doctor falls through in Saxony!

Sachsen, Deutschland - The shortage of doctors in Germany has made foreign doctors a coveted resource. But there is a huge hurdle between you and a job in German hospitals and practices: the specialist language test! With this special language test, almost 50 percent of international candidates fail - an astonishingly high proportion that should shake Germany! Like a current report by 49 percent of the test subjects slowed down by the language test. Of the 200 Syrian doctors, only 88 passed the strict exam! And even in other federal states, the situation does not look much rosier.

The German license procedure not only requires fundamental language skills to B2 levels of the common European reference framework (GER), but also deeper medical knowledge that must be demonstrated at the C1 level. Not an easy walk when you consider that the examination is not only costly, but also repeatable - which continues to go in the money, since every repetition is associated with fees of 390 to 600 euros. The figures in Bavaria are particularly critical: from June 2023 to May 2024, a total of 1,045 contenders rattled through!

disaster in the federal states

Berlin and Brandenburg? By no means better! Both federal states also report diarrhea for 50 percent, although precise figures are often unclear or for technical reasons cannot be found. However, the shock wave of linguistic obstacles cannot hide an offense within the system. Without a seamless registration of the nationalities, the real extent remains hidden behind the scenes, which is concerned about observers.

The picture becomes even darker when we look at North Rhine: Here, only 64.2 percent of the doctors successfully take the exam. But there are also bright spots! Thuringia has revealed itself as a positive outlier by falling to just 26 percent. Is there a recipe for success that the rest of the country could follow?

political reactions and challenges

The AfD then raged and considered the results as a "fundamental grievance". Especially after the unveiling of the high diarrhea in Saxony, they emphasize that deficits in the professional suitability of the foreign doctors could be the cause. Requirements for mandatory exams for these doctors are loud, with the proposal that they would even have to take the second and third state exams in Germany before a license is considered. The party urges more local doctors to bring into the German study company in order to reduce the dependence on foreign forces.

Although the situation appears serious, there is no indication that the need for linguistically qualified doctors decreases. On the contrary, especially with regard to the high diarrhea rate, this could be an opportunity to rethink the language tests. The question remains how the other political groups of the Bundestag will deal with this pressing problem.

Despite the hard realities and the overwhelming number of failed test subjects, there are still efforts to overcome the language barriers and to give more foreign doctors access to the German health system. In fact, this could be a first step in closing the supply gaps in the health sector and at the same time ensuring high -quality care!