Germany will miss at least 2030 medical workers by 180.000, and the number of people dependent on other people's care will rise to more than six million, one million more than expected, according to a study by health insurance Barmer, which was presented today in Berlin.

- If we take into account the increasing number of people who need someone else's care and the already acute shortage of carers, we can say that Germany is moving towards a dramatic situation when it comes to the medical sector, said one of the Barmer's directors, Christoph Straub.

About six million citizens by 2030 will be dependent on other people's care, which is one million more than the estimated number so far, according to a Barmer survey. The cost of care for others can increase from the current 49 to 59 billion euros per year.

For these reasons, Straub called for immediate action by the new government to make the nursing profession more attractive.

-We need to get as many people as possible for training in the medical care sector, said Straub.

He also pointed to the problem of many caregivers leaving their jobs during the pandemic.

The president of the Bundestag's Left Party parliamentary club, Dietmar Barch, has proposed an urgent program to return carers to their core profession.

-This is a coordinated action at the federal level aimed at convincing former carers to return to the old sector, said Barch.

The left-wing politician even proposes that anyone who decides on this step receive a premium of 10.000 euros, which would be tax-free.

Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holecek has proposed that medical staff in intensive care units double their salaries during the coronavirus pandemic and be exempt from income tax. He believes that this would achieve the effect of returning those who have turned their backs on this profession in recent years.

Source: MIA