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Shortage of doctors in Cottbus: City is fighting for new family doctors!
Cottbus is combating the shortage of doctors with funding packages and initiatives to strengthen medical care in the Spree-Neiße.
Shortage of doctors in Cottbus: City is fighting for new family doctors!
There is clearly a need for action in Cottbus: the shortage of doctors, especially general practitioners, has increased dramatically in recent years. Many practices are closing as the medical profession gets older and interest in taking over practices has recently weakened. The city of Cottbus, together with the Lausitz Carl Thiem Medical University (MUL-CT) and the Brandenburg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVBB), has therefore launched a comprehensive funding package to improve medical care and promote the settlement of new doctors. Particular focus: recruiting general practitioners who are particularly important for the care of citizens. According to [rbb24](https://www.rbb24.de/politik/teil/2025/09/brandenburg-cottbus-spree-neisse-aertze Mangel-plan-medizin-sorge.html), the city plans to make a total of 300,000 euros available for equipping and modernizing practices.
The situation is not easy: 86 general practitioners in Cottbus currently care for a total of around 1,430 patients per practice, which represents a high burden compared to the rest of the country. In addition, over 50% of general practitioners in Cottbus are approaching retirement age. The average age of these doctors is 63, which puts further pressure on medical care.
An alliance against the shortage of doctors
Mayor Tobias Schick is leading the initiative to combat the shortage of doctors in Cottbus. Under his leadership, an alliance was created that includes all relevant players from medicine, politics, districts and business in the dialogue. The city is striving to make the establishment of doctors more attractive by, among other things, offering financial help when taking over practices, reducing bureaucracy and flexible working models, reports niederlausitz-aktuell.
An important point is the support of younger doctors, who often prefer to work in salaried positions. Modern working conditions with family-friendly options are required here. The city of Cottbus plans to allocate up to 300,000 euros annually from its budget to promote practice, but the funds must first be approved by the city council.
Future challenges
The general trend in Germany shows that although the total number of doctors was at a record high in 2022, the distribution remains inconsistent. More and more trained doctors are switching to other professions or reducing their working hours. The tendency for younger doctors to prefer employment to self-employment cannot be overlooked. More and more women, who are now overrepresented in medicine, are leaving the profession in order to take on family responsibilities and place more value on a good work-life balance, according to ZDF today.
These developments cause difficulties, especially in rural and socially disadvantaged regions such as Cottbus, where there is already a clear undersupply. The fact that the age structure of general practitioners and the change to part-time medical positions could have a serious impact on the care landscape cannot be ignored. The city of Cottbus now has the opportunity to make the medical situation future-proof through innovative approaches and sufficient funding.