Lack of doctors in Saxony-Anhalt: Foreigners are waiting for a long time for a license!

Lack of doctors in Saxony-Anhalt: Foreigners are waiting for a long time for a license!

In Saxony-Anhalt, the support of foreign doctors is increasingly being supported because medical care is under pressure. But the reality looks like that foreign doctors and dentists from outside the EU still have to wait around a year and a half for the necessary license to work in Germany. This was confirmed by the State Administration Office in Halle on request.

For doctors who have completed their training in EU countries or Switzerland, things are much faster-they only have to wait about a month on average until their application is processed. Currently, 68 applications from foreign doctors and 13 of dentists are still being processed, despite the hope of being able to reduce the waiting times. In mid -2023, the state administrative office had already reported an average waiting period of 18 months.

procedural changes and their effects

In order to accommodate the foreign specialists, the authority initially planned a shortening of the procedure. The waiver of the equivalence test, which is often associated with lengthy documentation requirements, should effectively accelerate the procedures. The aim was to give more applicants the opportunity to take a knowledge test at the medical associations. This procedure could tighten the process by about half a year.

However, the state administrative office now admitted that the change of the proceedings only took place a few months ago. A final evaluation of the effects on the processing time is not yet possible. Nevertheless, there is a trend towards fewer equivalence tests, which at least signals hope for an improvement in the situation.

In 2022, 148 foreign doctors and 16 dentists received recognition. By 2023, the number of recognized doctors had increased, with 167 doctors and 15 dentists who received state confirmation. So far, 128 doctors and 3 dentists have been granted recognition. These doctors come from countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Syria as well as from the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan, whereby there is no obligation to work in Saxony-Anhalt.

A positive trend shows that the number of foreign doctors who actually work in Saxony-Anhalt is continuously increasing. According to the medical association, there were a total of 1,879 foreign doctors in mid -September compared to 1,833 at the beginning of the year. The Romanians present the largest group with 159 doctors, followed by Azerbaijanese (146), Syrians (132), Ukrainians (128) and Russians (125). Doctors from Turkey and India can also be found. This development means that foreign doctors now make a share of 18.7 percent of the total number of doctors in Saxony-Anhalt.

Development is remarkable and, if the processing times are really reduced, could lead to further increase in medical staff. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the targeted measures will actually bring the desired results. Details on this topic are in the article by www.welt.de to read.