Eching invests 23,000 euros: will we finally get a pediatrician?

Eching invests 23,000 euros: will we finally get a pediatrician?

The community of Eching is well on the way to having a child-friendly addition: a pediatrician will soon be based in the community. To support this project, the Finance Committee approved a grant totaling 23,000 euros. Of this, 20,000 euros will go towards furnishings, while 3,000 euros will be earmarked for advertising measures. Mayor Sebastian Thaler reports on the efforts made so far to recruit a suitable pediatrician and describes Eching as an interesting location for young doctors. The community is taking its cue from the city of Moosburg, which has already successfully attracted a pediatrician. You can find out more about this on Mercury read up.

There are currently 2.5 open pediatrician positions in the Freising district, and another is now to be located in Eching. The community is already in contact with him BVKJ (Professional Association of Pediatricians and Adolescents) and attempts to recruit suitable candidates. Two pediatricians who were interested in opening a practice in the Munich area have already been contacted, but rejected the offers. Eching is now also taking part in a planned application at the BVKJ pediatrics exchange.

Marketing strategies and challenges

The planned measures to address potential pediatricians include, among other things, the creation of a flyer and the development of an exposé of the practice rooms. These materials should be distributed to pediatricians in the region and also published on referral portals. Everyone involved is aware that the location of the future practice – in the basement of the ASZ – is not optimal. There is therefore already discussion about what can be done to make this location more attractive.

However, the financial support that was discontinued by the local council also entails an obligation: If the pediatrician has to close his branch again within two years, the subsidy must be repaid in full or in part. The municipal supervisory authority has already approved the project and the financing will come from the municipality's general reserves. The decision was passed by a vote of 8:2, with some committee members wanting higher amounts for advertising measures.

Eching is therefore faced with the challenge of both recruiting a suitable pediatrician and keeping him at the location in the long term. The Bavarian professional association for pediatricians and adolescent doctors has 1,778 members and is also committed to improving health care for children in Bavaria through the prevention and treatment of illnesses. According to current trends, the number of pediatric doctors continues to be a worrying issue, which is why the BVKJ is more dependent than ever on public support.