Rural doctor quota: This is how we secure the future of medical care!

Rural doctor quota: This is how we secure the future of medical care!

Opening a new chapter in medical studies – that is what the rural doctor quota, which has also been in effect at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) since 2023, promises. Jannik Daentzer, an ambitious medical student, overcame the hurdles and landed a spot in this program. He describes himself as a “country bumpkin” and finds the big city of Göttingen almost overwhelming, but he values ​​the direct contact with people that he can expect as a future country doctor. NDR reports on an important goal of the rural doctor quota: ensuring medical care in rural areas.

The requirements are clear: Anyone who opts for the rural doctor quota commits themselves to ten years of work in underserved areas. A breach of this contract can result in hefty fines of up to 250,000 euros. Since the rural doctor quota was introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia in the 2019/2020 winter semester, eleven federal states have already adopted this program. The selection criteria vary, but one thing remains constant: if you want a place, you have to be seriously prepared to live a life in the country. Students like Daentzer are happy to say that they can imagine opening their own practice - in this case even on the water, together with his fiancée.

Opportunities and challenges of the rural doctor quota

Despite the clear goal of combating the shortage of doctors in rural areas, the demand for study places is modest. In 2023, only 46 students have registered for the 60 places offered, with a total of 300 applications. The goal was an impressive 600 registrations. Eva Hummers, head of the Institute for General Medicine at the UMG, points out the opportunities but also the weaknesses of the program. Responsibility is being distributed among fewer and fewer shoulders, which is preventing many from taking the step into self-employment, reports medical studies.io.

Demographic developments are compounding the difficulties: the average age of general practitioners in rural areas is 55, which is why many will soon be retiring. The rural doctor quota is seen as a potential solution to this medical undersupply. While some federal states participate in the country doctor quota with different percentages of study places - Lower Saxony, for example, with 10% - the conditions nationwide are considered complex. The application procedures vary considerably depending on the region, and individual registration in the dialogue-oriented service procedure (DoSV) is usually required.

Application and obligations

The country doctor quota is often also open to high school graduates who do not have the best grade point average. The program not only requires an application and personal interviews, but also a signing contract that binds the future doctors to their word: a life in the country as a general practitioner. And who doesn't like that? There are exceptions - for example in the case of pregnancy, parental leave or serious illnesses when the obligations cannot be fulfilled.

Whether Jannik Daentzer can ultimately realize his dream depends on many factors. It is clear to him that direct contact with his rural patients is his goal. Like many other young doctors, he has a great desire to actively combat the impending lack of medical care in rural regions and to find happiness in the process. Against this background, it is to be hoped that interest in the rural doctor quota will continue to increase.