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Many refugee doctors from Ukraine and Syria arrived in Germany, but the process of recognizing their qualifications in the country turned out to be a real quest. Even though Germany needs medical workers more than ever, red tape makes the process slow and expensive.
According to Deutsche Welle, refugee doctors face a lot of problems: they need to provide a bunch of documents confirming their education.
But some universities, for example, in Ukraine, suffered from the war and cannot issue the necessary papers. And the translation and legalization of documents will cost thousands of euros - for many refugees, these are unaffordable sums.
It does not help that Germany consists of 16 federal states, each of which has requirements for the recognition of medical qualifications. Doctors often undergo additional internships and exams in each country, which only complicates the process.
In addition, a license can take months or even years, and sometimes it is only issued for two years. This means that refugee doctors may lose their jobs due to delays with documents. Syrian doctors also face additional difficulties due to the threat of deportation.
At the same time, Germany risks facing a shortage of about 50 doctors in the coming years, although more than 2 million refugees already live in the country, many of whom are qualified doctors.
What do the refugees themselves say?
Ukrainians temporarily staying in Germany have access to the medical system, but making an appointment with a doctor is not an easy task. Queues can stretch for six months.
Olena Khramtsova, a Ukrainian who has lived in Germany for 20 years, says that although the equipment in the country is excellent, access to medical care remains a serious problem. The need for an interpreter at receptions and long queues for specialists is a reality faced by many.
Also, the lack of medical personnel and low salaries lead to burnout of doctors and nurses, which contributes to their outflow abroad in search of better working conditions.
