There's a tab on your student visa: "Stay and Service" - CDU pushes for foreign medical students to contribute to rural healthcare
Conservative German Party to Maintain Presence of International Medical Students in Domestic Academia
Get your stethoscopes ready, international med students: the CDU's got a proposition for you. According to Sepp Müller, deputy chairman of the CDU faction, those who learn the healing arts on German soil shouldn't just scoot back to their home countries with their well-earned M.D. After all, there's a hefty price tag on that degree.
In an interview with "Bild," Müller stressed that if these global doctors-in-training don't commit to a stint of at least five years in rural Germany, they'll have to cough up the hard-earned cash that funded their top-tier education. Ouch!
The CDU isn't the only one sounding the alarm about the pressing need to keep foreign medical talent in the country. Tino Sorge, the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, voiced similar concerns, stating that Germany needs to hang onto highly qualified professionals like a pitbull with a bone[2].
In the battle to keep patients healthy throughout Germany, there's a massive shortage of family doctors, with over 5,000 vacancies. That's more than the population of a small German town! The federal states, says Florian Müller, research policy spokesman for the CDU, should take ownership of collecting the repayment of study costs to ensure international academics choose Germany as their long-term home after university[3].
References:1. ^ ntv.de, ino/dpa2. ^ Schlimmer als ein Katastrophenfall: Deutschland mangelt über 5.000 Hausärzten (2021, July 30). Retrieved from https://www.funke-mediengruppe.de/regional/berlin/schlimmer-als-ein-katastrophenfall-deutschland-mangelt-ueber-5-000-hausaerzten-93003931.html3. ^ Florestan Müller (2021, August 22). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/fmueller_CDU/status/1430354452155794432
- CDU
- Doctors
- Skills shortage
- The CDU advocates for a community policy that encourages foreign medical students to stay in Germany beyond their education, addressing the alarming skills shortage in rural healthcare.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness and education-and-self-development, vocational training such as medical education could significantly contribute to bridging the gap in Germany's rural medical workforce.
- General news outlets have reported on the political implications of this issue, with discussions surrounding the repayment of study costs to incentivize foreign doctors to stay and contribute to Germany's medical landscape.
