Overview
- At a state press conference, medical, dental and pharmacy representatives warned that 400 general practice seats are already unfilled and that retirements over the next five years will intensify shortages, especially outside cities.
- The dental chamber projects about 40% of dentists will retire by 2030, with roughly half of those practices unlikely to find successors, putting care for around 600,000 people at risk.
- Pharmacy leaders reported 36 closures over three years and expect 338 pharmacists to reach retirement age by 2030, including 142 owners, a trend that could leave nearly 700,000 residents without a nearby pharmacy.
- Professional bodies called for establishing pharmacy and dentistry degree programs at the new Medical University Lausitz – Carl Thiem to expand local training and improve retention beyond the private MHB.
- KV Brandenburg cautioned it cannot absorb unlimited responsibilities as private operators withdraw, citing KMG’s planned closures of two pediatric MVZs in Jüterbog and Luckenwalde as an immediate warning sign.