Inserts:

00:03 Report / Emily Leshner
00:20 Dr. Freddy Bautista Vanegas / Doctor
01:40 Tanja Hutterer / Placement of Foreign Workers Central Office

TEXT 

Dr. Freddy Bautista Vanegas is making his rounds here in a Parkinson’s clinic in Beelitz, Germany, an hour from Berlin. 

Before coming to Germany, Dr. Vanegas practiced medicine in his home country of Boliva. But the process to become a certified practioner here has been a long one.

+++SOT FREDDY BAUTISTA VANEGAS, Doctor+++ 
“I have to be very honest with you. This process is a bit tedious, it's a bit long, but with a lot of perseverance, a lot of support, and a lot of patience, we can achieve it.” 
((Este proceso es un poco tedioso, es un poco largo pero con mucha constancia, con mucho apoyo, con mucha paciencia, podemos lograr en este proceso.))

Dr. Bautista Vanegas is one of approximately 300 doctors that have come to German through a program aimed at reducing job vacancies in healthcare.

But it also benefits partner countries. In Mexico, for example,  

+++GRAFIK REIN+++ 

40,000 medical students graduate each year with specialized medical training, and compete for just under 18,000 training positions.  

+++ GRAFIK RAUS +++ 

Dr. Bautista Vanegas is far from home, but feels welcome by his colleagues and patients alike. aaa ++++

+++SOT FREDDY BAUTISTA VANEGAS, Doctor+++ 
“And the patients always ask, where are you from? What are you doing here? When I tell them I am      from Bolivia, most of them automatically become happy, start smiling, and say, 'Oh, I was in Bolivia, I went on vacation to Bolivia.” 
Cuando les digo yo vengo de Bolivia, ellos automáticamente, en su mayoría, se ponen felices, empiezan a sonreír, empiezan a decir Oh, yo estaba en Bolivia, he ido de vacaciones a Bolivia."

Since 2017, the country’s Federal Employment Agency has been running an initiative that places specialized doctors from mostly Mexico and Colombia to work in German healthcare facilities. And Dr. Bautista Vanegas, from Bolivia.    

+++SOT TANJA HUTTERER, Central Office for the Placement of Foreign Workers and Specialists (ZAV) +++ 14:24:23 
“For us it's really important to work with countries who have a surplus of professionals in a certain area. So, they won't have a shortage in their own countries. So, we, have, like, focus countries. For instance, Mexico and Colombia, because that is the case."

Between 2023 and 2024, nearly 50,000 critical jobs in healthcare remained unfilled in Germany, according to the country’s public health agency. 

Medical professionals joining the program like Dr Bautista Vanegas then learn the upper-intermediate B2 level of German. Then there is a visa process, which can take several months. Once in Germany, doctors practice under the supervision of a senior doctor, while studying and taking a series of other qualifying tests.  

+++SOT FREDDY BAUTISTA VANEGAS, Doctor+++
“Next week I have the phase four exam, which is the exam for technical medical language. Once we pass this exam, we only have the last one left.” 
La siguiente semana tengo el examen de la fase cuatro, que este es el examen para un lenguaje técnico médico. Una vez aprobamos este examen solamente nos queda el último, que es el que cuando pueda aprobar el último examen.
 
   Doctors must obtain the qualification to practice medicine within two years of arriving here. The Specialized program helps them with nearly every step of getting settled. Helping them find housing and navigating the often complicated bureaucracy. 

For example, each of Germany’s 16 federal states has different requirements for becoming a certified doctor. 

+++SOT TANJA HUTTERER, Central Office for the Placement of Foreign Workers and Specialists (ZAV)+++ 14:40:00 
“We need a good guidance through this, federal system, the different recognition processes, that should be more streamlined in the future and it will be a thing. But, until now, it's one of the most, the biggest challenges also for us.” 

Meanwhile, Dr. Freddy prepares for his last test.

+++END+++