Increased number of doctors: concerns in rural areas

The number of doctors in Saxony increased last year. There are currently 19,693 doctors working in the state - 442 more than in the previous year, the Saxon State Medical Association announced in Dresden on Friday.

According to the Medical Association, the number of working female doctors rose by 373 to a total of 10,732, accounting for around 54.5 percent of all working doctors. However, only 6.1 percent of the total of 690 senior doctors in hospitals are women.

The number of foreign doctors registered with the Saxon State Medical Association also increased by 164 to a total of 3,278. Most of them come from Syria (416), the Czech Republic (415), Poland (275), Slovakia (238), Russia (182), Romania (175), Ukraine (160) and Bulgaria (96). A total of 3055 foreign doctors from 106 nations are working in Saxony, which is 236 more than in the previous year.

The President of the State Medical Association, Erik Bodendieck, was pleased about the increase in foreign doctors. Many institutions in Saxony rely on support from abroad, he said. However, he is concerned about the difficulty of filling vacant practices in rural areas. "Modern working models and forms of cooperation could help, as well as targeted measures to attract young talent to rural areas."