NRW Minister Doctors need to be German

NRW: Minister demands German language skills from doctors

01/12/2014

The North Rhine-Westphalian Social Affairs Minister Guntram Schneider (SPD) demands good German language skills from doctors. This is a prerequisite to work in Germany as a doctor.

For the sake of patient safety
For the North Rhine-Westphalian Social Affairs Minister Guntram Schneider (SPD), good knowledge of German is a prerequisite for working as a doctor in this country. He told the German Press Agency: „Of course, doctors who want to work in German hospitals or in other areas of the health service must be able to speak German - in the interest of patient safety, but also of the doctors themselves.“ For foreign doctors, language tests are an important basis for recognition in North Rhine-Westphalia. „There are German skills at the top. That's a matter of course“, so tailor.

Language tests for foreign doctors
In these tests, foreign doctors must, among other things, have a patient interview and write a doctor's letter. About 39 percent of the applicants in the administrative district of Cologne passed the language tests, which can be repeated as often as desired. Estimates by the German Foundation for Patient Protection assume that around 20 percent of all medical treatment errors in Germany are due to language problems. NRW Health Minister Barbara Steffens (Greens) announced that the subject language tests for foreign doctors will be the responsibility of the medical associations.

More patients should be able to speak English
With his current remarks, Social Minister Schneider wants to counteract the impression that he requires patients to speak English in order to speak with foreign doctors. Compared to a local radio, the minister was on the sidelines of an event four weeks ago „Integration through education“ expressed that some doctors working in this country have only bad German language skills. „The problem would be solved if more patients than before could speak English“, so Schneider at that time.

Criticism from the foundation patient protection
The Foundation for Patient Protection had criticized him in recent days and said Schneider pushes the patient to the buck. „These do not need an English course, but qualified medical help. This requires above all good knowledge of German doctors“, Foundation Board Eugen Brysch.

Number of foreign physicians has doubled
In Germany, there is a shortage of doctors and therefore hospitals and cities are grateful for specialists from abroad. Since 2005, the number of foreign physicians in NRW, according to the „Rheinische Post“ doubled. According to the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health, about 6,000 out of a total of 37,500 hospital doctors in North Rhine-Westphalia are from abroad. (Ad)