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Doctor numbers in Bavaria continue to rise, as does undersupply

The number of doctors in Bavaria has once again risen to a record high. Nevertheless, professional associations continue to warn of a shortage of doctors. Why? The statistics show.

Shortage of doctors - Doctor numbers in Bavaria continue to rise, as does undersupply

The number of doctors in Bavaria continued to rise last year. The Bavarian Medical Association counted 70,616 working chamber members at the end of the year. This was an increase of two percent compared to the previous year and the highest number ever recorded by the chamber. Within a decade, the increase even amounted to more than 16 percent. Nevertheless, professional associations in Bavaria have been warning of a shortage of doctors for some time.

According to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Bavaria (KVB), these warnings are backed up by figures. According to these figures, 35 planning areas in Bavaria are now threatened by an undersupply of doctors' surgeries - ten years ago there were only 7. The number of planning areas in Bavaria that are considered to be definitely undersupplied has risen from 4 to 13 within a decade.

According to the Medical Association, there are two main reasons why demand can no longer be met everywhere despite the increasing number of doctors. Firstly, the population is getting older on average and the need for treatment is increasing. In addition, the Chamber's statistics show that fewer and fewer junior doctors want to run their own practice, which often involves long working hours and is difficult to combine with part-time work.

Instead, the number of doctors who are employed in practices continues to increase. More than a third of medical staff in Bavarian practices now have an employment contract.

The trend in general practice is particularly striking. Here, the number of those running their own practice in Bavaria fell by just under two percent last year. The number of salaried doctors in general practices has risen by more than eleven percent in the same period.

In turn, women now make up more than two thirds of the doctors employed in general practices. At the same time, according to the Medical Association, women work part-time significantly more often than their male colleagues. The part-time rate among female doctors is 40 percent, compared to only 6.5 percent among male doctors.

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The shortage of doctors in Bavaria, as highlighted by professional associations, is also a concern in Munich. According to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Bavaria, 13 planning areas in Munich are now considered to be definitively undersupplied, up from just 4 a decade ago. This undersupply of doctors' surgeries is a significant concern for the Health sector in Bavaria. The Medical Association attributes this problem to various factors, including an aging population and a decrease in junior doctors willing to run their own practices.

Source: www.stern.de

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