Only 10% of medical refugees from Ukraine received licenses in Germany

A large part of Ukrainian doctors who came to Germany as refugees, despite the shortage of doctors, cannot work in their specialty. WELT reported this on Saturday, August 3.

It was noted that since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,674 refugee doctors have applied for a medical license in Germany, but only 187 applications have been processed. This is the data provided by 14 of the 16 federal states.

The publication clarified that the long wait applies not only to Ukrainians, but also to all citizens from countries outside the European Union who certify their diploma. The time to obtain a license to practice medicine usually ranges from 15 months to three years.

“This result is frightening. Today’s level of bureaucracy also paralyzes urgent processes such as the recognition of doctors,” emphasized Gerald Gass, president of the German Hospital Association. According to him, the state simply cannot continue to maintain qualified workers instead of sending them to where they are urgently needed.

Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer draws attention to a common problem. “The fact that even 30 percent of refugees from the war in Ukraine are unemployed in Germany, a significantly lower percentage than in most other European countries, shows that our policies are wrong,” said he. The politician also calls for speeding up the recognition of professional qualifications obtained abroad.

It was previously reported that Germany is proposing to send unemployed refugees back to Ukraine.

Germany promotes a “fair” distribution of refugees in Europe