High proportion in non-medical health professions
Two-thirds of the 593,000 non-physician foreign health workers are from Europe, the vast majority of them from the east or south-east of the continent. Poland is in first place, followed at some distance by Turkey and the Russian Federation. The breakdown into the various job descriptions shows that the proportion of immigrants in geriatric care is particularly high at 23 percent. A total of 140,000 employees with a migration background work in geriatric care. 127,000 workers with a migration background are employed in healthcare and nursing.
By the Federal Government Recognition Act of 2012 Foreign skilled workers have the right to have their professional qualifications compared and recognized with the corresponding German ones. Native speakers can also help to overcome language barriers and thus further improve migrants’ access to healthcare.
With the Asylum Procedure Acceleration Act, the federal government has regulated that asylum seekers with medical training can support doctors in the care in refugee facilities, for example with their language skills. You are then not working as a doctor yourself, but alongside the doctor.