Lack of doctors in Saxony: New ways of rural health care!

Lack of doctors in Saxony: New ways of rural health care!

Zwickau, Deutschland - Medical care in Saxony faces a major challenge. Minister of Health Petra Köpping (SPD) emphasized that it is essential to secure medical care in the country in the long term. This is particularly important for rural regions, where the lack of doctors is increasingly noticeable, as MDR reports. Many domestic interfaces are vacant here, while the aging population has a high need for medical services.

An impressive example of the long training period of doctors is the career of Maximilian Braun, which illustrates how important it is to find new ways in medical training. The country doctor program in Saxony already offers 40 study places for medical students without a one-off high school diploma. These have to undertake to work in sub -supplied regions. If these young doctors are ready, this could be a solution to the existing gap in general medical care.

Innovative approaches to combat the shortage of doctors

Another important network is the project "Studying in Europe - Future in Saxony", which has been running since 2013. Cooperation with the University of Pécs in Hungary offers training in a German -language course. The currently 213 participants, 164 of whom are still in their studies, are a valuable reserve of future general practitioners. Minister of Health Köpping is a firm building block to secure medical care in rural areas, where the challenges are particularly large, as well as pharmacy adhoc reported.

In Saxony there are currently over 370 free house doctor points. The deficiency can be felt particularly in smaller cities and rural areas. Around 30 percent of general practitioners are currently over 60 years old and are opposed to an inevitable pension, which increases the pressure on the successor. The country doctor program and incentives such as bonuses for doctors who practice beyond the retirement age should counteract this problem.

The challenges of rural health care

Medical and nursing care is an important part of general interest, especially in rural areas where there are fewer health care facilities. Longer journey routes and restricted access to specialized services make the situation more difficult, as bpb.de describes. So there is not only a lack of general practitioners, but also on specialists, which leads to a high burden of disease.

In rural regions, medical care also becomes more expensive, since the economic operation of practices is often not profitable. Innovative solutions are required: Telemedical offers and mobile practices could help close existing gaps. These new approaches could not only improve access to health care, but also promote more effective together between the different health professions.

Overall, it is clear that Saxony has to act proactively in order to ensure medical care. Demographic change will further tighten the challenge of the shortage of doctors in the coming years. It remains to be hoped that the new programs and approaches will have an effect and that health care will continue to remain at a high quality level.