The Joys of Multiculturalism!

The German healthcare system is plagued, so to speak, by a new problem: a growing dearth of doctors who can speak German well enough to do their jobs effectively. The solution is obvious: German schools must begin teaching their students Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Malay, and Tagalog so that they can more efficiently explain their symptoms to hospital personnel.

Many thanks to JLH for the translation from Quotenqueen:

The Joys of Multiculturalism!

Even our highly qualified immigrants cannot speak any German. “It is simply about a lack of competence in German on the part of medical doctors,” which, in the opinion of the president of the Berlin Chamber of Physicians, is becoming a serious problem in health care. Complaints are multiplying from patients who can no longer communicate with their doctor, said Chamber President Günther Jonitz on Monday, speaking with German Radio on Culture. “And head doctors report that they can by now only converse in German with one-third of their staff.” Oh, what the heck! Veterinarians and pediatricians can’t talk with their patients either.

Besides, we shouldn’t be so racist and demand that immigrants master the country’s language. After all, it’s hard.

Der Spiegel writes:

No, it is not technical jargon that separates many doctors from their patients. It is simply about a lack of competence in German on the part of medical doctors, which, in the opinion of the president of the Berlin Chamber of Physicians, is becoming a serious problem in health care. Complaints are multiplying from patients who can no longer communicate with their doctor, said Chamber President Günther Jonitz on Monday, speaking with German Radio on Culture. And head doctors report that they can by now only converse in German with one-third of their staff. “The risks are increasing,” warned the president of the Berlin Chamber of Physicians.

Because there is a shortage of doctors, more and more physicians from Eastern Europe, Greece, and even Arab countries are practicing in Germany — and frequently without decent language skills. According to previous statements of the Organization of Hospital Directors, the proportion of foreign assistant doctors, especially in smaller clinics, can be more than 50%.

“Really Lousy Healthcare Policy”

Jonitz, the President of the Berlin Chamber of Physicians, sees economizing in healthcare as the cause of this development. Thus [he says] a “really lousy healthcare policy” puts too much emphasis on numbers and economic yield and forgets the human beings in the system. But German doctors and nurses will not stand for that anymore: “Whoever can, leaves, goes to other countries and works there, where it is possible to be regarded as a doctor or nurse — Switzerland, Scandinavia, England, Holland — and these vacancies are filled by doctors from countries where it is much worse.”

The government and the healthcare politicians, on the contrary, see it as the duty of the medical organizations and clinics to arrange for better integration of immigrant doctors. At one time, the SPD politician Karl Lauterbach said that instead of being incorporated, foreign doctors were only used as stopgaps.

Clearly, we are to blame that immigrants do not adapt to the majority society of their adopted country, when they are unselfishly offering us their services. Other countries are not so stupid. But we are all for it. Ah, multiculturalism is so great!