Veterinarians' association: Less bureaucracy and more flexible hours
Too much bureaucracy, too rigid working hours - veterinarians in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are dissatisfied. The state association of practicing veterinarians sees one reason for this in the veterinary medicines legislation that has been in force since January 2022. This goes far beyond the EU requirements and causes an immense amount of work, explained the head of the state association Holger Nietz on Tuesday. The bureaucratic effort is hardly manageable. "Young colleagues are thus further deterred from taking over a practice," complained Nietz.
The organization of work is also made more difficult by the fact that emergency service assignments are not sufficiently taken into account in the Working Hours Act. Mandatory service breaks immediately after an emergency assignment can hardly be reconciled with the daily work schedule. "For years, our associations have been pointing out the negative developments in the care of livestock to the relevant ministries," emphasized Nietz. One veterinary clinic in the north-east has already withdrawn its clinic status because it was no longer able to meet its obligation to be on call at all times.
According to the professional association, a new emergency service regulation for the care of small animals, which was passed by the state veterinary association in September, is intended to close gaps in care. In future, pet owners will be able to dial a central emergency number, which will then automatically connect them to the nearest practice on duty. The procedure is already being used in Schleswig-Holstein and has also been adopted in Brandenburg, reported Nietz.
However, bottlenecks in the care of livestock can only be compensated for by the high commitment of veterinarians. The fact that livestock numbers have fallen again more rapidly in recent years has also led to uncertainty in practices. Hiring new staff is then a difficult decision - "if there are any applications at all", said Nietz.
In rural areas in particular, the regional association sees two reasons for staff shortages: older vets are retiring and there are many women among the graduates (85 to 90 percent). Young women are more likely to work in small animal practices and part-time. In addition, young families are less likely to decide to set up a practice in the countryside "for completely understandable reasons", said Nietz.
The veterinary medicines legislation, leading to excess work and bureaucracy, is a deterrent for young veterinarians considering taking over a practice, as mentioned by Holger Nietz. Concurrently, the lack of consideration for emergency service assignments in the Working Hours Act adds to the challenges in organizing work, leading to concerns within the veterinarians' association.
Source: www.dpa.com
