Köpping: Saxony depends on foreign nursing staff

Saxony needs around 5,000 additional nursing staff by 2030 due to its ageing population - and will not be able to meet this demand with local staff alone, according to Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping. The SPD politician is focusing on recruiting foreign trainees and specialists.

Young Brazilians are being trained in Leipzig

In Leipzig, Köpping visited a Diakonie nursing home where young people from Brazil are being trained as nurses for the first time. The contacts for this project came about during a visit by Köpping to the South American country.

Nine young men and women have been completing the three-year training program since September. They had previously completed a language course in their home country at the expense of Diakonie in order to learn German at an advanced level. Köpping asked the trainees how they had arrived in Leipzig and what experiences they had had so far.

Language as the biggest hurdle

"The biggest challenge we all faced together was definitely the language," reported 20-year-old Pedro Oliviera. Apart from this hurdle, he finds the people in Germany very friendly and is happy to be here.

The Diakonie plans to continue the Brazil project over the next few years. Another class is currently completing the language course and the participants for a third class will soon be selected.

Open-mindedness needed in society

So far, Diakonie has been very satisfied with its Brazilian trainees, said commercial director Sebastian Steeck. He also assumes that the nursing shortage in Saxony cannot be overcome with local staff alone. "If we want to manage this in any way, there is no alternative to recruiting from abroad," said Steeck.

A change of attitude is also needed in society - towards greater openness to the world. "If this project is to be successful, then society in Saxony must also open up to the idea of people coming from other countries and nurturing them," said Steeck.