Keeping Talent in Rural Germany: CDU Proposes Repayment of Study Costs for Foreign Medical Students
Maintaining the Presence: CDU Plans to Retain International Medical Students in the Nation
In a bid to alleviate the medical skills shortage, particularly in rural areas, the CDU in Germany has proposed a new policy. The gist? Foreign medical students who study in Germany and then opt to leave the country right after graduation will have to shell out for their education.
CDU deputy chairman Sepp Müller expressed this sentiment in a conversation with Bild, stating, "Anyone who studies here should practice in rural areas for at least five years. Those who don't want to should repay the costs of this top-notch education." The aim is to keep these highly educated professionals within Germany's borders.
This sentiment is echoed by Tino Sorge, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health. He too calls for preventing the return of foreign medical students to their countries of origin after graduation, stating, "We must retain such highly qualified professionals. We must win young doctors for work in Germany instead of watching them emigrate."
Florian Müller, the research policy spokesman of the Union faction, suggests that the federal states should regulate the repayment of study costs independently. "We must take much better care to ensure that international talents work in Germany after university," he tells Bild.
This policy aims to tackle the alarming situation of Germany being short of over 5,000 family doctors[1]. However, the details of the policy's implementation, such as the repayment amount and exact conditions for non-compliance, are not yet clear. For precise information, it might be necessary to contact the relevant German authorities or educational institutions directly.
[1] Source: ntv.de, ino/dpa
- CDU
- Doctors
- Skills shortage
- The CDU's proposed community policy includes vocational training for foreign medical students, requiring them to repay the costs of their education if they don't practice in rural areas for at least five years after graduation, as a measure to address the current skills shortage of doctors in Germany.
- Tino Sorge, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, emphasizes the importance of retaining highly qualified foreign medical professionals in the country, advocating for education-and-self-development policies that encourage these individuals to work in Germany instead of returning to their countries of origin.
- In line with the CDU's policy proposals, Florian Müller, research policy spokesman of the Union faction, calls for education-and-self-development initiatives to ensure that international talents remain in Germany after university, suggesting that the federal states should independently regulate the repayment of study costs for those who fail to do so.
