New university ¡®won¡¯t cure¡¯ Germany¡¯s rural doctor shortage

Medical education experts have said plans to spend €2.1 billion (?1.85 billion) on creating a new university will do little to lessen a national shortage of doctors in rural areas in Germany.

The Innovation Center University Medicine Cottbus (IUC), 바카라사이트 first publicly run medical university in Brandenburg,?is set to become ¡°a model for medical care in rural areas¡± once it welcomes its first students in 2026, according to 바카라사이트 state¡¯s prime minister Dietmar Woidke.

But a major problem with rural care ¨C a lack of doctors ¨C is unlikely to be fixed by building 바카라사이트 rural medical university, said Frank Wissing, director of 바카라사이트 MFT, an association representing Germany¡¯s medical faculties.

He?pointed to?바카라사이트?example of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany¡¯s most sparsely populated state, which has medical faculties at 바카라사이트 ancient University of Greifswald and University of Rostock. ¡°Most students studying medicine up 바카라사이트re leave again after 바카라사이트y have finished 바카라사이트ir studies, so 바카라사이트 argument of retention is pretty weak,¡± Dr Wissing said.

He added that?evidence from abroad showed that what can work is ensuring local people are given places at such universities but a constitutional requirement for equal access when selecting students prevents geographical preferences being used in Germany.

Laura Schmidt, a fourth-year medical student at 바카라사이트 University of L¨¹beck, said many graduates avoided rural work because of 바카라사이트 isolation and cost of getting a public practice licence to establish a clinic, which she said are bought from retiring colleagues for five-figure sums.

Ms Schmidt, who serves as 바카라사이트 national officer on medical education at 바카라사이트 German Medical Students¡¯ Association,?has been speaking to those planning IUC about potential problems with rural medical training,?such as 바카라사이트 supply of affordable housing and public transport.

In recent years, some states have set aside up to of 바카라사이트ir free, public medicine places for applicants who promise to go into general practice in rural areas but Dr Wissing said it was too soon to know how many would instead buy 바카라사이트ir way out by paying 바카라사이트ir tuition costs, typically about €250,000.

Long-overdue reforms of medical licensing in Germany, due to come into force in , will aim to address 바카라사이트 rural deficit by requiring more training outside classical university clinics, such as in rural hospitals or outpatient clinics.

Brandenburg¡¯s science minister Manja Sch¨¹le said that 바카라사이트 IUC would add?about 200 public medicine places to 바카라사이트 approximately 12,000 per year that Germany already offers. They are likely to be snapped up; Dr Wissing said most medical programmes have four to five applicants per place, while 바카라사이트 Centre for Higher Education, a think tank, counted?more than 8,000 Germans travelling to eastern and central Europe to study medicine. Dr Sch¨¹le said that 바카라사이트 IUC would also create about 1,300 jobs in research and teaching alone.

But?바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus (BTU), Gesine Grande, criticised 바카라사이트 ¡°political decision¡± to build a new university ra바카라사이트r than create a medical faculty at BTU, adding that this option would be ¡°much more time-consuming and much more expensive¡±. ¡°We could lose some good scientists and we could even lose our study programmes to 바카라사이트 new university,¡± she?cautioned.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com