Rhineland-Palatinate is fighting against a shortage of doctors: new quotas for medical studies!

Rhineland-Palatinate is fighting against a shortage of doctors: new quotas for medical studies!

A new chapter in medical education is opening in Rhineland-Palatinate. The introduction of rural and pediatric doctor quotas for medical students is intended to counteract the growing shortage of doctors in rural areas. Health Minister Clemens Hoch supported this and reports a high level of interest in these quotas. The rural doctor quota, which has existed since the winter semester of 2020/21, provides 6.3% of study places to ensure that medical care is guaranteed even in sparsely populated regions. There has also recently been a quota for the public health service (ÖGD), which covers 1.5% of study places. These measures are a direct result of the increased demand for healthcare in rural areas, which is influenced by various factors, including demographic changes.

A further step will be taken in the summer semester of 2026: the introduction of a rural pediatrician quota, which will cover 3% of the study places. This is aimed at students who are committed to completing specialist training in pediatric and adolescent medicine. Hoch emphasizes that it is not just the Abitur grade that is crucial, but that tests and selection interviews also play a role. This is no coincidence: some students with rural doctor quotas have failed their first medical exam in the last three years. Minister Hoch attributes this, among other things, to the delayed effects of the corona pandemic.

The consequences of the pandemic

The pandemic has had a major impact on learning in recent years. According to Hoch, you learn through interaction, which was limited during the Corona crisis. These restrictions have not only affected students' learning, but have also led to an increase in psychological problems among children and young people, which are caused by the special situation. The Minister of Health therefore calls for a holistic view of medical training and the needs of young people.

Shortage of doctors as a challenge for society as a whole

However, the shortage of doctors not only affects Rhineland-Palatinate, but extends throughout Germany. In Bavaria, for example, where the rural doctor quota was introduced in 2020, around 470 family doctor positions are unfilled. The average age of practicing general practitioners is around 55, which illustrates the urgency of the issue. The country doctor quota in Bavaria provides 5.8% of medical study places for young doctors who commit to working as a country doctor for ten years. Clinicians like 28-year-old Carla Scheuring, who was given the opportunity to study medicine through this quota, are the glimmer of hope in this unfortunate situation.

In an Upper Bavarian practice where Scheuring is completing her internship, ten doctors treat around 1,000 patients a week. The practice manager Dr. Julia fahrer attaches great importance to the training of young doctors in order to actively counteract the shortage of general practitioners. She even plans for young doctors to take over the practice in 2027, which will set the course for the future. But many young doctors have concerns: Instead of becoming self-employed, they prefer to remain employed. The penalty for not complying with the country doctor's contract amounts to a whopping 250,000 euros, which makes planning noticeably more difficult for many young doctors.

Clemens Hoch describes the development of quotas for medical study places as an important measure to cover the future need for doctors. Ultimately, the question is how Germany will secure its medical care in the long term - a challenge that affects all players in the healthcare system and that no one can ignore.