The German Embassy in Tirana has announced tightened rules for Albanian nationals applying for nursing assistant positions.
The embassy published an official statement that noted from 1 January 2022 that only applications for nursing assistants with a B1 level recognised language certificate would be admitted.
“The embassy informs: From 01.01.2022, the Tirana embassy will only accept applications in the area of nursing staff for “nursing assistants” for which recognised language certificates at level B1 are submitted,” the statement of the German Embassy reads.
According to the notice, the change in rules has come as the result of an order by the Federal Foreign Office.
Germany is currently experiencing a shortage of healthcare professionals, and the authorities are looking to fill the gap with foreign hires. Figures suggest that Germany will need between 150,000 and 200,000 professional nurses over the next decade.
But there is also a significant influx of applications, hence the new rules. To ensure a fair chance is given to all, a lottery-type system is used to pick applications that will proceed to the next stage. Applications can be submitted online until 17 December.
According to data from the German Embassy, between 2013 and 2017, 762 doctors and 2,064 nurses left the country. In 2018, 18% of foreign doctors in Germany were Albanian- the largest group overall. In 2019, the number of Albanian doctors increased by around 21% compared to the previous year.
Albanian medical staff and those from other Balkan countries are around one-third of the EU average.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has often downplayed the effect in the Albanian healthcare system of medical professionals’ leaving the country. He has argued that everyone is free to travel and work anywhere globally and that Albania is not suffering because of this.
During the graduation ceremony of Albanian medical students on 20 February, while addressing the 1600 graduates in attendance, Rama said that claims made by the Opposition that doctors and nurses are leaving Albania en masse to work abroad were false.
“There is no shortage of doctors in Albania…During 2018-2019, 400 new physicians were hired, not only of age but also of overseas returnees and 2200 nurses. Many people are listening to the news say there are no doctors, no nurses, everyone is gone. Today we are talking about 1500 nurses on the waiting list on the “Nurses for Albania” portal, a transparent mirror that does not lie. We don’t have this problem,” Rama said.
