Amid a severe shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector, the German Hospital Federation (DKG) is calling for faster recognition of foreign qualifications. “Unfortunately, the bureaucracy surrounding recognition remains far too complicated and time-consuming in Germany,” DKG Deputy Chief Executive Henriette Neumeyer told the Augsburger Allgemeine on Saturday. “We are calling for nationwide uniform procedures and responsibilities.”
Applications are currently processed by state medical associations, with requirements varying from one federal state to another. Complicated and rarely digitised visa procedures add to the difficulties. “Foreign skilled workers have to wait for months, and sometimes even years, before they can even get an appointment at the German embassy in their home country,” Neumeyer said. “The requirements for visa applications are barely transparent, and many immigrants turn to agencies for help. Hospitals often cover the costs of these services.”
Hospitals depend on employees from abroad. “Healthcare provision would be noticeably restricted without foreign skilled workers,” the DKG deputy chairwoman stressed. “Long waiting lists, restrictions on services due to staff shortages or postponed operations would become the order of the day.”
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