Published 12 January 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b97
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b97

News

Germany abolishes its compulsory retirement age for doctors

Annette Tuffs

1 Heidelberg

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A new law abolishing the compulsory retirement age of 68 for GPs and specialists in primary care in Germany came into effect at the beginning of this month. The new law has been introduced because of a shortage of doctors in rural areas and small towns, especially in east Germany.

The German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), which has long advocated an end to the age limit, which was brought in in 1993, welcomed the law. "The age restriction was out of date. It does not make sense to stop doctors treating their patients if their patients want them to continue to do so," a spokesperson said.

The age limit was introduced to try to prevent a predicted surplus of doctors and to give younger doctors a chance. It applied only to the treatment of non-private patients, which make up about 90% of the population. Doctors aged 68 years or older have . . . [Full text of this article]


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