Doctor Shortage in Germany

(Berlin, Germany) When socialized medical systems run into the inevitable scarcity of resources, measures are implemented to lower standards.

To deal with a looming doctor shortage in Germany, Health Minister Philipp Rösler called on Sunday for medical schools to broaden the way they accept students – including less emphasis on school grades.

“I’m asking for an end to restricted admission and for a stronger emphasis on selection interviews,” he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

So, instead of limiting the medical profession to the demonstrated capable, intelligent and knowledgeable, the German government seeks to include an interview savviness attribute for those whose grades currently indicate they are not the caliber of individuals who should be making life and death medical decisions.

Arguably, the intentional degradation of a health care system typically only happens with socialized medicine. Simple, rational logic would dictate that prudent initiatives in medicine should always be to improve the medical care systems, not degrade them intentionally.