MEDIgration 2024: The shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas
Solution strategies for the shortage of healthcare professionals
On September 13, 2024, the second conference “MEDIgration 2024: Healthcare professional shortage in rural areas” took place in the Konzerthaus Freiburg. The conference was organized by the FIA Academy with the support of the City of Freiburg and the Baden-Württemberg Hospital Association. The main aim of the conference was to discuss possible solution strategies for the shortage of healthcare professionals and to network the stakeholders involved in order to establish a basis for the development and implementation of regional projects to promote healthcare provision.
Markus Skiba, Head of the Office for Migration and Integration of the City of Freiburg, opened the conference with a speech. He spoke of the exemplary cooperation between the City of Freiburg and the FIA Academy for the qualification and integration of international healthcare professionals. The FIA Academy is a pioneer in this field.
Dr. Tim Gerhäusser, Head of Health, Order and Structural Policy at the Landkreistag Baden-Württemberg, followed the opening speech with a welcoming address. He referred to the charm and quality of life of rural areas in Baden-Württemberg. It is important to show foreign specialists: “Rural areas in Baden-Württemberg are different.”
Nadyne Saint-Cast, member of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament, also gave a welcoming address in which she spoke about the precarious situation of outpatient care in Baden-Württemberg: “We are short of around 1,000 GPs.” She emphasized: “We need and want specialists from abroad.”
Panel discussion: opportunities and challenges
Six experts from the healthcare and integration sector discussed the challenges posed by the shortage of skilled workers, focusing on the integration of foreign skilled workers and the digitalization of the healthcare sector.
Leonie Dirks, Ministerial Director at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, emphasized the progress made in the immigration of skilled workers and the promotion of language courses. Ellen Breuer, working group of the Integration Commissioner, referred to the success of the Recognition Act, which has led to the employment of 40,000 foreign doctors since 2011. Dr. Paula Hezler-Rusch, President of the South Baden District Medical Association, put the supply problems in rural areas into perspective and emphasized that rural areas are also well connected by public transport. Digitalization problems in the healthcare sector were addressed by several experts. Dr. Olaf Gaus, Managing Director of the Digital Model Region Health Dreiländereck, and Dr. Dirk Kölblin, District Chairman of South Baden of the Baden-Württemberg Association of General Practitioners, criticized the lack of infrastructure, while Prof. Dr. Andy Maun, Director of the Institute of General Medicine at Freiburg University Hospital, pointed out the advanced level of digitalization in Scandinavian countries. In conclusion, the participants emphasized the need for cooperation and new working models in order to sustainably combat the shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas.
Solution strategies of the FIA Academy
Prof. Dr. Nabeel Farhan, founder and Medical Director of the FIA Academy, highlighted the FIA Academy's innovative offerings for the integration of international healthcare professionals: from a digital learning app for learning German general and specialist language, to the opening of an FIA nursing school to train international nursing professionals, to FIA scholarships that encourage international doctors to work in rural areas and the “Freiburger Bund” initiative, which will better connect the broad community of international doctors, dentists and pharmacists in the future. The FIA Academy is planning numerous projects to promote comprehensive healthcare provision and better professional integration of international healthcare professionals, including FIA scholarships that encourage international doctors to work in rural areas and the “Freiburger Bund” initiative, which aims to better connect the broad community of international doctors, dentists and pharmacists in the future.
FIA Awards 2024
After three FIA graduates shared some moving words about their journey to Germany and their experience within professional recognition, three FIA Awards and one FIA Academy Honorary Award were presented for the first time.
The FIA Education Award 2024 was presented to Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kreisel for his outstanding commitment to teaching and supporting FIA participants. The project team of the Dental Students' Scientifi Association of Egypt (DSSA), represented by Donia Tarek and Mohamed Mostafa, then received the FIA Health Award 2024 for the development of an app that connects facilities within the healthcare sector for waste prevention, recycling and resource efficiency. The FIA Social Award 2024, an award recognizing volunteer work in support of international healthcare professionals, was presented to the social media group FIA Admin. The group consists of international doctors who have provided extensive information on their social media channels for many years on professional recognition and integration in Germany.
Finally, the FIA Academy honored its Scientific Director, Prof. Dr. Michael Wirsching, with the FIA Honorary Award. Prof. Wirsching was honored for his unparalleled commitment to the goals of the FIA Academy from the very beginning.
Outlook for the future
Following the successful conference, the FIA Academy is now planning to develop and implement regional projects to promote comprehensive healthcare. The Academy hopes to work closely with various stakeholders in the healthcare sector to overcome obstacles to the professional integration of international doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses and thus support the healthcare system in Germany.
The management of the conference
Prof. Dr. Nabeel Farhan
Medical Director and Managing Director of the Freiburg International Academy
The speakers at the conference
Markus Skiba
Head of the Office for Migration and Integration City of Freiburg
Dr. Tim Gerhäusser
Head of Department for Order, Health and Structural Policy at the Landkreistag Baden-Württemberg
Nadyne Saint-Cast
Member of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg
Leonie Dirks
Ministerial Director and Head of Office at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Integration
Ellen Breuer
Federal Chancellery | Staff of the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism
Dr. Paula Hezler-Rusch
President of the South Baden District Medical Association | Specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy | Specialist in psychotherapeutic medicine
Dr. Dirk Kölblin
South Baden District Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Association of General Practitioners | Specialist in General Medicine
Prof. Dr. Andy Maun
Director of the Institute of General Medicine at Freiburg University Medical Center
Dr. Olaf Gaus
Managing Director of the Digital Model Region Health Dreiländereck
Non-material supporters
