Continuing medical training in practices is a key instrument for counteracting the shortage of doctors. Financial support is an important component of this. Young doctors are urgently needed, particularly in the field of pediatrics and adolescent medicine. The Ministry of Science and Health is now supporting the Rhineland-Palatinate Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV RLP) in supporting this group of doctors. This means that more pediatric and adolescent medical practices in Rhineland-Palatinate can apply for full funding for the employment and supervision of doctors in training.
For this purpose, the state government is making a total of 336,000 euros available to the KV RLP, so that in 2024 and 2025 it can fund five additional funding positions each in the amount of the statutory funding of currently 5,400 euros per full-time position per month. The state grant corresponds to half of the health insurance companies’ share of the statutory funding, the Rhineland-Palatinate quota of which has been exhausted due to the high demand. Interested pediatric practices can now submit applications to the KV RLP.
“It is a positive development that so many young doctors are choosing pediatrics and adolescent medicine and want to undertake the relevant specialist training in the outpatient sector,” said Health Minister Clemens Hoch. “I am therefore very pleased that we can also provide targeted support to pediatrics and adolescent medicine with this additional funding offer. Outpatient training enables practices to develop their own young talent.”
Strengthening pediatrics and adolescent medicine is a focus of Rhineland-Palatinate’s health policy. It was only at the beginning of 2024 that pediatricians and adolescent doctors were included in the state’s general practitioner funding program. A rural pediatrician quota is also being prepared, with which medical study places will be reserved for interested parties who will work in pediatrics and adolescent medicine in rural areas after their studies. “It is therefore only logical that we are now also getting involved in further training and supporting the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in bridging the current shortage of funding positions. It is very welcome that the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is also placing a focus on pediatrics and adolescent medicine in its further training funding and that we are once again pulling together here,” says Hoch.
“With the additional funding, more aspiring pediatricians and adolescent doctors can now benefit from the full funding and gain experience in outpatient care during their training,” says Dr. Andreas Bartels, deputy chairman of the board of the KV RLP. “We want to inspire these colleagues to work in the practices and to win them over to providing care for children and young people in the state close to their homes. It must therefore also be economically viable for the practices offering training to offer training positions.”
The promotion of further training is an important field of work for the KV RLP – whether through the establishment and support of further training associations, with the campaign “Medical further training – your opportunity. With us in RLP” or with offers of financial support. The KV RLP has already given a certain priority to pediatric and adolescent medicine in the distribution of statutory funding positions by exempting them from the newly introduced maximum limits for the individual groups of doctors eligible for funding within the quota. “This is because there is already an acute shortage of doctors in this field in particular. The state grant gives us additional financial leeway to provide even more vacancies for pediatric and adolescent medicine at the full level of the funding,” says Dr. Bartels.
With further medical training, doctors acquire the qualification as a specialist in the relevant field after studying and obtaining their license. The statutory further training funding according to Section 75a SGB V for outpatient training periods is currently 5,400 euros per month per full-time position and is financed half by KV RLP and health insurance companies.
The number of funding positions for specialists (unlike general medicine) is limited to 2,000 nationwide. Of these, Rhineland-Palatinate accounts for 98.6 positions for 2024. These have been exhausted since the beginning of the year.
Since 2018, the KV RLP has been additionally supporting continuing education practices (regardless of the specialty) that cannot benefit from statutory continuing education funding in accordance with Section 75a SGB V through its own guidelines.
The state grant is to be used to increase the new training courses in the field of pediatric and adolescent medicine to the full level of funding beyond the funding provided by the KV RLP guideline. This will be done by providing up to five annual full-time funding positions in 2024 and 2025. The positions can also be filled by several people on a part-time basis.
Further information and the application for interested practices can be found on the KV RLP website.
