New young program strengthens family doctors in Gelsenkirchen!

New young program strengthens family doctors in Gelsenkirchen!

The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Westphalia-Lippe (KVWL) and the city of Gelsenkirchen have now launched a joint young program to strengthen the general practitioner care, which under the name "Practice? Start!" operated. The aim of this program is to offer young doctors the opportunity to dive into the everyday life of a family doctor without immersion. In Gelsenkirchen, the proportion of over 70-year-old doctors is already the highest among the independent cities in Westphalia-Lippe, which also underlines the need for action. Klaus Rembrink, head of the Gelsenkirchen KV district office, emphasizes the urgent need to win qualified youngsters in order to ensure the long-term medical care.

As part of the program, doctors are invited to apply for a completed specialist qualification. The participants have the opportunity to gain practical experience in a selected mentoring practice over a period of six months. In addition to practical experience, networking with other participants is also in the foreground. After a successful conclusion, the young doctors receive the option of taking over a supply order in the Gelsenkirchen urban area in the long term.

funding and support for aspiring general practitioners

A decisive aspect of the program is the financial support for the general practitioners who hire young doctors. These receive a monthly funding of 7,000 euros, which the city of Gelsenkirchen and the KVWL share. A free seminar offer is also provided in order to optimally prepare the participants for everyday practice and possible practice takeovers. The measure focuses on quarters such as the old town, Neustadt, Bulmke-Schüllen and Ückendorf, where the average age of general practitioners is particularly high.

Andrea Henze, City Councilor for Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, emphasizes the importance of this program for the generation change in general medical care. Interested young people and mentoring practices can find out and apply on the KVWL website.

challenges of general care in Germany

The need for such programs is underpinned by the latest forecasts for general care in Germany. According to a study by the Robert Bosch Foundation, around 11,000 household interfaces will remain vacant by 2035. Rural regions and some urban areas in federal states such as Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Baden-Württemberg are particularly affected. Here in many districts there is a risk of child -suffering medical undercarriage, since almost 30,000 general practitioners leave their jobs by 2035.

The study also shows that young doctors are often not willing to fill the vacant positions, since many of them prefer employees and part -time models. This development leads to a significant decline in general practitioners and contributes to the increase in the already existing bottlenecks in medical care. It is therefore of great importance that programs such as "Practice? Start!" Incentives are created to stop the decline in general practitioners and to promote the attractiveness of the branch in family practices.