"With a municipal funding program, we want to make the working conditions for paediatricians in Stuttgart attractive and thus improve the outpatient care structure for children and young people," says Christina Cyppel, health planner at the public health department.
A look at the age structure of the medical profession shows that the situation will become even worse. In order to counteract this development, the city of Stuttgart has designed a support program alongside other measures to make working as a doctor in the state capital more attractive. However, the support program alone is not enough to secure the supply of paediatricians in Stuttgart in the long term.
The figures from the Baden-Württemberg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVBW) are clear: in the first quarter of 2024, 22 of the 65 paediatricians working in Stuttgart were 60 years old or older. This means that over a third of the doctors currently working are expected to retire in the next five to ten years.
As there are already too few treatment places available for children and adolescents, the city of Stuttgart has been developing measures to improve the supply situation since 2022. These are being carried out in close cooperation with Stuttgart's pediatricians in particular. "We welcome Stuttgart's initiatives and hope that the difficult situation can be alleviated, especially with the financial support of the city," reports Dr. Özgür Dogan, member of the representative team of Stuttgart's pediatricians. They are under immense pressure. Since 2022, a further four colleagues have left the profession. As a result, the remaining practices, which are already working at the limits of their capacity, are having to take on more and more cases and regularly turn away desperate parents.
The support program has been allocated a total of 260,000 euros in the current double budget. Pediatricians and adolescent doctors who are willing to set up a new practice can apply for up to 80,000 euros. Employment, branch practice start-ups, practice takeovers and mergers are also eligible for funding. Doctors can receive an additional grant of 40,000 euros if they set up in a district without an existing pediatric practice. Further details and documents are available here: https://www.stuttgart.de/foerderung-kinderaerzte
The Mayor for Social Affairs, Health and Integration, Dr. Alexandra Sußmann, makes it clear: "We are facing ever-increasing challenges and are very pleased that the municipal council has given us an important instrument for improving outpatient care with this funding program. For the long-term success of this funding program, however, it is crucial that the framework conditions change fundamentally and that access for junior doctors to further training in paediatrics is made possible to the extent required. With the Olgahospital of the Klinikum Stuttgart, we have the largest pediatric clinic in Germany in the city, and this must be utilized. More study places - also in the state capital - would be one step - another would be more training places for prospective pediatricians after their medical studies."
Professor Stefan Ehehalt, Head of the Stuttgart Health Department, adds: "There are many bright minds who would like to study medicine and many who would choose to specialize in paediatrics after studying medicine. On the other hand, there are too few study places and too few training places. In view of the serious supply problem, it is no longer acceptable that access to the specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine is not made possible to the extent required."
Other municipal departments have been helping to improve the deficient outpatient care situation for years. For example, medical requirements are already taken into account in urban planning. The city's business development department also offers a contact point with a pilot function in the administration for interested doctors.
Editor's note: At the request of Christina Cyppel, the quote was adapted on October 23 to describe the aim of the funding program even more precisely.