Foreign Vets on the Rise: Bridging the Veterinary Gap in Rural Areas, Especially in Germany
Foreign veterinarians are being actively recruited due to a scarcity of local specialists in the field. - Consultation Held on Animal and Environmental Protection Bill Draft
Stop the scroll, because it's not just human doctors that rural communities are struggling to keep. The lack of veterinarians is causing a serious stir, with open positions remaining vacant for months on end. Enter our friends from abroad, such as Matthias Link's latest recruits, an Iranian vet and another from the same homeland, who've joined his practice since the year 2024.
Asal Ilkhani Zadeh traded the hustle and bustle of Tehran for a little village near Sulingen. "At first, it was tough, as folks here speak differently, even when they're stressed about their pets," admitted the 30-year-old. But fear not, folks, the work ain't much different from what they're used to back home. Zadeh deals with small animals, while Mohammad Ranjbar, from Tabriz, handles livestock. The latter learned some special lingo like milk fever, stone calf, and farrowing from farmers during his first visits in Varrel. Ranjbar couldn't be happier in northern Germany: "I dig the peace and nature, and the friendly people."
However, practice owners are finding it a real pain to find suitable replacements for when they eventually hang up their stethoscopes. Nationwide, the number of working vets has increased since 2013, but many only work part-time, and women make up over 70% of the crowd. Bye-bye retirement, 'cause at least 3,000 practice owners will be calling it quits in the next decade. Dr. Link (61), independent practitioner extraordinaire, reckons he needs another 1.5 to 2 vets to keep up with the workload.
The state government of Lower Saxony is promoting a faster accreditation process for foreign vet qualifications due to this conundrum. However, the topic has hit a brick wall in the Bundesrat, as the Agriculture Minister Miriam Staudte (Greens) lamented. It's not just the health of the animals on the line, but also disease control, feed, and food safety. Whew! That's a lot of pressure on the four-legged friends!
- Iran
- Human Medicine
- Hannover
- Germany
- Tehran
- Sulingen
- Despite the increase in human doctors, the scarcity of veterinarians, particularly in rural areas of Germany, continues to be a significant concern, as evident by the hiring of foreign vets, such as those from Iran, like Matthias Link's latest recruits, who have joined his practice since 2024.
- The healthcare and wellness of animals and its related aspects, such as disease control, feed, and food safety, are at stake with the shortage of vets in Germany, and the accelerated accreditation process for foreign vet qualifications, particularly from cities like Tehran, is crucial to ease this problem, as discussed in Hannover's state government.
