Monthly Archives: September 2013

Meet the deadly DNP ‘diet drug’

September 21, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
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Meet the deadly DNP ‘diet drug’

“Tragedy of the gifted rugby player, 18, who died after buying deadly ‘fat-burning’ pills online,” the Daily Mail reports. It is just of one of many newspapers and websites who have reported on the death of Chris Mapletoft, who died after taking 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP). This is a banned substance that has been marketed on the internet as a “wonder slimming aid”.

DNP has also been linked with the deaths of students Sarmad Alladin and Sarah Houston earlier in 2013.

 What is DNP?

DNP is a combination of compounds that was widely used during the early 20th century in a range of industrial processes.

Warning signs of DNP poisoning

Warning signs include:

  • hot dry skin
  • excessive thirst
  • excessive sweating
  • abnormally fast heartbeat
  • rapid breathing

If you suspect a case of DNP poisoning immediately call 999 for an ambulance

In 1933, an American researcher discovered that when taken by humans, DNP dramatically speeds up the metabolism leading to rapid weight loss. It was subsequently marketed as a weight loss drug. It was quickly withdrawn from the market, however, after it was found to be highly toxic, causing significant side effects and in some cases, deaths.

In 1938 the American Food and Drug Agency issued a statement saying DNP was “extremely dangerous and not fit for human consumption”.

It appears that DNP has becoming increasing popular during the last decade among bodybuilders for its “quick-fix” ability to lead to rapid weight loss. Presumably this information was spread both by word-of-mouth as well as via internet forums and message boards.

 

Why is DNP so dangerous?

One of the risks of DNP is that it accelerates the metabolism to a dangerously fast level. Our metabolic system operates at the rate it does for a reason – it is safe. Speeding up the metabolism may help burn off fat, but it can also trigger a number of potentially dangerous side effects, such as:

  • fever
  • dehydration
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • restlessness
  • flushed skin
  • excessive sweating
  • dizziness
  • headaches
  • rapid breathing
  • rapid or irregular heartbeat

The combination of these side effects can have an extremely damaging effect on the body and can result in coma and, as we have seen, death.

Long-term use can lead to the development of cataracts and skin lesions and may cause damage to the heart and nervous system. There is also evidence from animal studies that DNP is carcinogenic (cancer causing) and increases the risk of birth defects.

Is DNP legal?

No. It is illegal to sell DNP as a weight loss drug and doing so could place you at risk of criminal sanctions.

 

What is being done about DNP?

“Street names” for DNP

According to a recent report, DNP is also known as:

  • Dinosan
  • Dnoc
  • Solfo Black
  • Nitrophen
  • Aldifen
  • Chemox

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is actively working with the police and local authorities to stamp out the illegal sale of DNP to consumers, focusing on stopping internet sales. The FSA is supporting local authorities to help with this work.

However, many websites that offer DNP for sale are based in foreign countries meaning that cutting supply of the drug is difficult. Despite the best efforts of the UK authorities, people determined to buy DNP can do so with ease.

Because it is so easy to access supplies, there is only so much the authorities can do to protect you. It takes only a few seconds to find sites selling DNP on the internet. Some of these sites offer such illegal products alongside perfectly legitimate weight loss drugs, which adds to the potential for confusion.

Personal responsibility must play a part, as Rod Ainsworth, FSA director, said: “It’s really important that people understand quite how dangerous DNP is. We have been working hard to raise awareness of the dangers of DNP and to encourage people to let us know if they are sold products containing this chemical. If people are offered DNP they should not take it and should instead contact the FSA or their local authority.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of DNP should report this by email to and the police.

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76 per cent of Germans consider physicians among the top five professions

September 20, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
Friendly medical team in a bright room

76 per cent of Germans consider physicians among the top five professions

For decades now the Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach has at regular intervals polled the esteem in which the population holds certain professions. Once again, the profession of medical doctors emerges uncontested winner at the top of the professional prestige scale: 76 per cent of Germans consider physicians among the top five professions that they hold in highest regard. Second place again goes to nurses at 63 per cent. Third place went to the police, who scored 49 per cent on the recognition ratings, followed by teachers at 41 per cent and craftsmen at 38 per cent. The tail-end of the table continued to be brought up by TV anchors (3 per cent) and bankers (3 per cent). Politicians as a profession only placed marginally better, with only six per cent of the population rating it as a profession that they held in highest regard.

Seen over the last two decades, what strikes the eye is that the standing of many professions is astonishingly stable. This applies in particular to physicians, who have for the last 20 years consistently scored values of more than 70 per cent. By contrast, there have been clear changes in the case of some professions. For example, since the early 1990s the recognition accorded university professors has tended to wane. Moreover, albeit over a longer period, the esteem in which lawyers are held has also decreased.

Source: ifd-allensbach.de; photo: dpa/pa.

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Anthrax alert in Hungary from an infected sheep

September 19, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
Cutaneous_anthrax_lesion_on_the_neck._PHIL_1934_lores

Anthrax alert in Hungary from an infected sheep.

An infection of the deadly anthrax disease has been identified in sheep at a farm in Jaszladany, a village 120 kilometers east of Budapest, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. Authorities found last week that one sheep in a herd of 210 heads died of anthrax, a disease which can spread to humans. The farm was placed under quarantine, the ministry said in a statement.

It is advised to see how can anthrax be identified and how doctors should deal with it.

What is anthrax?

Anthrax is a serious, sometimes deadly disease caused by infection with anthrax bacteria. These bacteria produce spores that can spread the infection.

Anthrax in humans is rare unless the spores are spread on purpose. It became a concern in the United States in 2001, when 22 cases occurred as a result of bioterrorism. Most of those cases affected postal workers and media employees who were exposed to spores when handling mail.

Most cases of anthrax occur in livestock, such as cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Anthrax spores in the soil can infect animals who eat plants growing in the soil. People can be exposed to spores in infected animal products or meat. This is not much of a concern in North America, because livestock are vaccinated against anthrax. But people can get anthrax from handling animal skins or products made out of animal skins from parts of the world where anthrax is more common.

What causes anthrax?

Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis bacteria. There are three types of infection:

  • Cutaneous (skin) anthrax camera. This can occur when spores enter your body through a break in the skin. Half of the cases in the 2001 U.S. terrorist attacks were this type.1
  • Inhalation (lung) anthrax camera. This can occur when you breathe in spores. It is the most serious type of infection. Half of the cases in the 2001 attacks were this type.2
  • Gastrointestinal (digestive) anthrax. This can occur when you eat food contaminated with anthrax spores. This has occurred in developing regions of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, but not in North America.

The illness does not seem to spread from person to person. People who come in contact with someone who has anthrax don’t need to be immunized or treated unless they were exposed to the same source of infection.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms and the incubation period-the time from exposure to anthrax until symptoms start-depend on the type of infection you have.

With cutaneous anthrax, symptoms usually appear 5 to 7 days after exposure to spores, though it may take longer.

  • The first symptom may be a small, raised bump that might itch.
  • The bump becomes a painless, fluid-filled blister and later forms a black center of dying tissue.
  • Swollen lymph nodes, headache, and fever also may occur.

With inhalation anthrax, symptoms usually appear 1 to 7 days after exposure. (But it can take as long as 60 days).

  • At first you may feel like you have the flu, with a sore throat, a mild fever, and muscle aches. But you may also have shortness of breath, which is not common with the flu.3
  • Severe trouble breathing, high fever, and shock may occur 1 to 5 days later.
  • Death usually follows within a day or two.

With gastrointestinal anthrax, symptoms usually occur within a week after exposure.

  • At first you may have mouth ulcers, a sore throat, trouble swallowing, loss of appetite, vomiting, or a fever.
  • As the illness gets worse, you may have trouble breathing (because of swelling in the throat), bloody diarrhea or vomit, or belly pain caused by fluid buildup.
  • Shock and death may follow within a few days.

How is anthrax diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and about any work or other activities that may have put you at risk for exposure. You’ll probably be notified by a public health official of a possible exposure to anthrax spores.

Anthrax is confirmed when the bacteria are identified from a culture of your blood, spinal fluid, skin sores, or respiratory fluids. If results of a culture aren’t clear, you may need other blood tests or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A skin ulcer may be biopsied.

If your doctor thinks that you have inhalation anthrax, you may have a chest X-ray or a CT scan.

How is it treated?

Antibiotics are used to treat all types of anthrax.

Anyone who is infected needs to be treated with antibiotics as soon as possible. Starting treatment before symptoms begin may make the illness less severe and prevent death. Treatment may also include supportive care in the hospital.

Anyone who has been exposed to anthrax spores but is not infected should be treated with antibiotics and a few doses of the vaccine to prevent infection. Not everyone who has been exposed to anthrax will get sick. But because there’s no way to know who will get sick and who won’t, anyone who is directly exposed will get treatment. If you think that you have been exposed, call your local law enforcement agency and your doctor right away. Don’t take antibiotics without talking to your doctor first.

Can anthrax be prevented?

In the U.S., the anthrax vaccine is used to protect only the small number of people who are at higher risk for exposure. These include:

  • Some military personnel.
  • Some lab workers.
  • Some people who come in contact with animals from other countries.

The vaccine is not available to the general public at this time. The risk of exposure to anthrax is extremely low.

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Hungary struggles to stem flow of emigrating doctors

September 18, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
plane leaving

Hungary struggles to stem flow of emigrating doctors

Already dogged by corruption, low wages and poor working conditions, Hungarian hospitals face another grave threat — an exodus of doctors. The lure of working abroad for many young doctors in the former communist country is proving irresistible, especially during a period of economic unrest at home.

On average a junior doctor in Hungary takes home around 140,000 forints (420 euros, $555) per month — at least five times less than their colleagues in Britain, Germany or Scandinavia — all favoured destinations for Hungarian doctors, according to Emese Batizan, head of the Budapest branch of the A-Team Medical Recruitment agency. ”Hungarian doctors are sought after in the West due to their good clinical skills and strong work ethic,” she told AFP.

For a young Hungarian however, there is more than just money fuelling the decision to leave for many doctors. ”I work 60-90 hours a week, but the atmosphere is stimulating and open-minded and there are enormous opportunities for learning and development,” Daniel Gero, a 27-year-old Hungarian surgeon who left to work in a clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland, told AFP. ”There are always interesting cases to work on and we use the most modern treatments and practices here,” he said.

In contrast, back home the health service is chronically underfunded: spending per capita is around half the OECD average according to the organisation’s latest statistics. The health service is also dogged by deeply embedded corruption: most patients pay doctors an agreed cash sum in an envelope — untaxed “gratitude money” for services rendered. This hinders the training of younger doctors, said Istvan Eger, president of the Hungarian Doctors Association (MOK). ”An older doctor often won’t let a younger one carry out an operation as he would be missing out on money from patients,” he told AFP. Young graduates hence face a difficult future if they stay in Hungary. ”The staff are exhausted and demotivated, professional development is very difficult and the technical conditions are deplorable,” said Eger. Exactly how many doctors have left is unknown but according to statistics from the National Health Fund (OEP), a record 1,600 doctors — around two-thirds of them under 40 — applied for permits to work abroad in 2012, up from around 1,400 in 2011.

These figures would imply the crisis is growing. Eger estimated that around 5,000 doctors have sought work abroad since Hungary joined the European Union in 2004. The exodus has gathered pace after the economic crisis hit in 2008, he added. Since then Hungary has twice fallen into recession, with growth returning only in recent months. This departure of young doctors has only added to the problems of the already beleaguered health service. Tellingly, since 2008, the number of those seeking permits to work abroad has exceeded the number of new graduates.

– STAYING HOME –

Despite all this, many decide to stay despite the paltry pay and conditions. Bela Koves, a 32-year-old urologist, did an internship in Sweden but opted to stay for work in his native Hungary with his wife, also a doctor.”Once you’ve left, it’s very difficult to come back, and we don’t want to live outside Hungary forever,” he said. ”I find the corruption disgusting for both the doctor and the patient,” he told AFP. ”But it won’t disappear without a significant increase in our ridiculous salaries.” Earlier this year, the government introduced a scholarship system to bolster the basic salary of young starters, in return for a contractual commitment never to accept “gratitude money”.

In July, the Human Resources Ministry said the number of doctors applying for permits to work abroad had fallen to 454 in the first half of 2013, down from 542 during the same period last year. Hungary must drastically increase salaries however, despite the struggling economy, said Istvan Eger. ”Other similarly cash-strapped economies manage to spend much more on their hospitals and doctors than we do,” he noted. He also urged a ban on cash payments, with stiff punishments for those who infringe.

But change will take time.

“Even in the best case, it will take at least 10-15 years to repair this system,” he said.

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‘Egg bank’ opens in London

September 17, 2013   Org Medlines   4 Comments
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‘Egg bank’ opens in London

A fertility clinic will open Britain’s first “egg bank” service this week allowing women to buy and sell eggs for use in fertility treatment. The service, provided by the London Women’s Clinic, will cater for the growing number of women wanting to start families in their forties, many of whom are unable to conceive. Although fertility clinics across the country are licensed to buy eggs from donors and use them in IVF treatment, the operators of the new egg bank claim it will be the first entirely devoted to the process. Donors will receive £750 for providing eggs, while patients at the Harley Street clinic will pay up to £10,000 for treatment.

It will operate like a sperm bank, allowing women to choose from a wide range of donors sorted by characteristics including intelligence and eye colour. The scheme, which will be launched officially on September 21, has been operating on a trial basis since January, with sixty patients already having donated eggs resulting in 40 pregnancies.Donors have been in their early twenties, while the average recipitent of their eggs has been aged from 42 to 44. Dr Kamal Ahuja, director of the clinic, said: “We are hoping to inform women about egg donation and to make it simpler.”

Reported by: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10313483/Egg-bank-opens-in-London.html

 

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Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep

September 16, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
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Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep

You’re not doomed to toss and turn every night. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Feeling crabby lately? Or simply worn out? Perhaps the solution is better sleep.

Think about all the factors that can interfere with a good night’s sleep — from pressure at work and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges, such as layoffs, relationship issues or illnesses. It’s no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive.

Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple sleep tips.

No. 1: Stick to a sleep schedule

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night. There’s a caveat, though. If you don’t fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you’re tired. If you agonize over falling asleep, you might find it even tougher to nod off.

No. 2: Pay attention to what you eat and drink

Don’t go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.

Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine — which take hours to wear off — can wreak havoc with quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.

No. 3: Create a bedtime ritual

Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.

Be wary of using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual. Some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.

No. 4: Get comfortable

Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

Your mattress and pillow can contribute to better sleep, too. Since the features of good bedding are subjective, choose what feels most comfortable to you. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. If you have children or pets, set limits on how often they sleep with you — or insist on separate sleeping quarters.

No. 5: Limit daytime naps

Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you’re struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the midafternoon.

If you work nights, you’ll need to make an exception to the rules about daytime sleeping. In this case, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight — which adjusts your internal clock — doesn’t interrupt your daytime sleep.

No. 6: Include physical activity in your daily routine

Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energized to fall asleep. If this seems to be an issue for you, exercise earlier in the day.

No. 7: Manage stress

When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace to your life, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Give yourself permission to take a break when you need one. Share a good laugh with an old friend. Before bed, jot down what’s on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.

Know when to contact your doctor

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night — but if you often have trouble sleeping, contact your doctor. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve.

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FC Bayern uniting with care giving team for the recovery of a young man.

September 15, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
GIP_Facebook_Highlightthema_Florian_FINAL (1)

FC Bayern uniting with care giving team for the recovery of a young man.

Florian is a young man, who just lives  like a regular “Bayernisch” person .He loves Bayern and as it is in Bayern he loves FC Bayern too.

As a Long time FC Bayern football club fan Florian who is suffering from a rear condition Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Now FC Bayern and a care giving team and company GIP IntensivePflege united for Florian to make his life more cheerful, by searching for a well trained care giver team, who could help the young men in his condition.

For more on the stroy please read to whole article in German at the following site: http://www.gip-intensivpflege.de/index.php?id=964

GIP_Facebook_Highlightthema_Florian_FINAL (1)

 

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Heart Healthy Habits

September 14, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
healthyfood

Heart Healthy Habits

Do The Diet
You can never really have a healthy heart if you don’t exercise dietary discipline. A diet high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, and low on refined sugars and trans fats is what will help you get to a healthy heart and lowered cholesterol. Cutting out the obvious like deep-fried foods, steak dinners, pizzas, etc. is the only way for you to arrive at a healthy heart. As far what you should be eating goes, eating salmon, a fish that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, will help decrease your chances of death via a coronary artery disease. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables too. This will help keep your weight and blood pressure under control.

Say No To Alcohol
You probably knew this, but have never chosen to limit your intake of alcohol. Alcohol by itself is not bad, it’s only when people have a drink too many on a daily basis that alcohol tends to reveal its ugly side. Excessive consumption of alcohol can result in high blood pressure and at times even a heart failure. However, alcohol consumed in moderation can be effective in increasing good cholesterol.

Stop Stress
Everyone’s life is prone to stress, only varying degrees of the same. This only means that as an individual you have got to muster the courage to learn how to keep ‘stress levels’ well below the limits of harm. People who stress about the silliest of things and even more about significant issues tend to smoke, drink, and overeat. This only leads to a vicious cycle, the end of which leads to a heart attack. The only way to get out of this vicious cycle is to stop stressing and take life as easy it’s supposed to be taken.

Sleep On It 
Has someone ever told you that sleep is bad for you? No? Well, that is because sleep is only good for you. It is the only way your body recovers from what could have been an extremely tiring day. Sleep as a basic function of life not only improves your ability to perform basic and complex tasks, but also increases heart health and even does wonders for your mood. Remember this, the more you sleep, the lesser the chances of dying from a heart disease. However, this does not mean you sleep throughout the day. It only means that you at any cost have to get your 8-9 hours of sleep.

Bury The Bud
If you smoke a lot or don’t smoke much but smoke occasionally, this one’s for you. It’s a proven fact that smoking can result in a heart disease. The chances of you having to deal with a heart disease are directly proportionate to the number of cigarettes you smoke. So, remember the next time the urge to smoke kicks in, kill it by saying NO!

Exercise
Last but not least, physical activity is what should be considered for a hale and healthy heart. Exercising regularly apart from building your strength and endurance also leads to a healthy heart and this is as good as a fact. Remember, it’s called cardio for a reason. Speaking about cardio, make it a point to indulge in activities that challenge your cardiovascular system. Ultimately, it is these challenges that will help you arrive at your ‘hearty’ goals.

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Institute of Immunology Zagreb sings a deal with Indian partner over measles vaccine

September 13, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
immunology

Institute of Immunology Zagreb sings a deal with Indian partner over measles vaccine

The Institute of Immunology Zagreb, one of the world’s oldest manufacturers of immuno-biological medicines, has signed a contract with Indian company HBL to produce the measles vaccine in India.

At the beginning of the cooperation Institute of Immunology will supply the bulk of measles vaccine to the Indian company and then it will be formulated and filled in India.
The cooperation is supposed to help in protecting children in India and others from developing measles.

About Institute of Immunology Zagreb:

The Institute of Immunology is the oldest manufacturer of immunobiological medicines in this part of Europe. Since 1893 and our vaccine against small-pox until today’s viral and bacterial vaccines, products from human and equine plasma, allergens and other products, our aim remains the same:PREVENTION AND FIGHTING DISEASE.

This year we celebrate 120 years since the Royal Institute for Production of Animal Vaccine against Small-pox which is the predecessor to today’s INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY, Inc. for the manufacture of medicine, pharmaceutical products and scientific research. Our main aim before this anniversary is to return to the path of past glory of a respected world known manufacturer of immunobiological medicine.

In consistence with the decision from the Croatian Ministry of Health, the Institute of Immunology produces imports and distributes vaccines in accordance with the programme for compulsory vaccinations in the Republic of Croatia.

The Institute of Immunology, Inc. with its technology, products and qualified staff can compete in the world market in the production of viral and bacterial vaccines; it can compete on a regional level with plasma fractionation. Today, our aim is to improve the existing products as well as to produce new ones. We are introducing a new and modern concept on web leaning on our well-known tradition and looking forward into the future. Here you can learn more about our products, our work which is of utmost importance for people’s health, about our vision, research and development. Learn about our ownership, financial reports, as well as future development and goals.

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Foreign doctors in Germany need no longer be taxi drivers

September 12, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
taxi german

Foreign doctors in Germany need no longer be taxi drivers

Germany ensures degrees of highly skilled migrants are recognised. Frances Mechan-Schmidt reports

Germany’s new law on qualifications, designed to remedy skills shortages in key areas and to give highly qualified foreigners working well below their professional level a fair shot at good jobs, has a forbidding name:Berufsqualifikationsfestellungsgesetz.

Thankfully, the Professional Qualifications Assessment Act, which was introduced a year ago, is known as BQFG for short.

Reactions so far are mixed. But if the scheme takes off, it could see higher education qualifications become a kind of global single currency, accepted with enthusiasm in Europe’s largest economy.

It was aimed at giving that economy a boost with an injection of skilled workers. And for individuals with foreign degrees, the benefits are clear.

“Now a well-qualified Russian engineer or Iranian doctor need no longer work as a taxi driver,” said Annette Schavan, Germany’s former federal minister of education and research, when the rules were unveiled. “They can finally work in their chosen professions.”

A necessary treatment

The act was designed to fast-track the recognition of foreign academic qualifications of third-country nationals (those who are not citizens of European Economic Area member states or Switzerland) so they could work in their chosen fields.

Hopes were high that the BQFG would, among other things, boost potential recruits in “regulated professions” requiring licensed practitioners, including law, dentistry, psychotherapy, medicine, pharmacy, healthcare and nursing.

Indeed, it seemed like the answer to Germany’s problems: compensating for, for example, the mounting numbers of medics forsaking the country for lucrative jobs in German-speaking Switzerland and Austria, disillusioned by a healthcare sector still in the grip of change and relentless cutbacks more than 20 years after reunification.

Accordingly, at a major press conference last year, Schavan, who was still minister at the time, introduced a website where potential applicants could access information on how to have their degrees and qualifications formally recognised in Germany.

Once submitted, applications would be assessed within a maximum of three months to facilitate the speedy integration of qualified foreigners into the professional workplace. Gone were the days, Schavan announced, of the highly skilled dissipating their talents in menial jobs.

And the federal commissioner for integration, Maria Böhmer, emphasised that, in future, those interested in coming to live and work in Germany could get their qualifications assessed and recognised in advance to ensure a smooth transition from their home country.

“We estimate around 300,000 professionals with migrant backgrounds in Germany could already benefit from the new law,” she announced, adding that not even countries with large immigrant populations, such as Canada and the US, had comparable assessment frameworks to recognise professional qualifications.

Yet despite the high hopes and the fanfare, results one year on are inconclusive. Government guidelines were supposed to be adopted by the 16 Länder (or states) and adapted to fit regional regulations, but so far only five (Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saarland) have introduced their own laws to process applications.

An estimated 3 million professionally qualified foreigners currently live in Germany, according to a 2008 census. The BQFG aimed to target about 300,000 of these; yet to date, only some 30,000 – just 10 per cent of that figure – have applied to have their qualifications recognised.

More visibility needed

“I would admit that the law has not yet fully taken off,” concedes Heike Klembt-Kriegel, managing director of the foreign skills approval unit (Fosa) that represents 77 chambers of commerce and industry up and down the country. Fosa specialises in assessing qualifications for the “non- regulated” professions, including craftsmen, ophthalmologists, banking and the catering industry.

Even highly skilled foreign tradesmen were barred from work, despite the desperate need for them in the country, because there was no means of aligning their qualifications with the German system.

The Fosa unit comprises a multi-skilled polyglot team that deals with enquiries in dozens of languages and areas of expertise. It forwards applications to the relevant professional associations if applicants need to be licensed to practise their profession and deals directly with those that fall under the 350 different vocational training courses Fosa covers.

Klembt-Kriegel says: “We need to become more visible for potential employers and raise awareness of what the new law is all about.” Only as word spreads will the volume of applications for recognition of foreign qualifications start to increase, she adds.

Yet some industry bosses are already praising the BQFG and citing tangible results. “The quality assessments really are clear and easy to understand,” confirms Peter Clever, a member of the management team of the BDA, the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations.

This “makes them a valuable tool in assessing applicants’ qualifications”, he adds. However, he also hopes that more people will apply under the act as time goes on.

Michelle Monteu, a 33-year-old from Cameroon who is married to a German, faced a dilemma familiar to many skilled immigrants. A doctor, she has lived and worked in Germany since 2008 and is now employed at a hospital. “At the beginning it was tough,” she remembers, “especially as I couldn’t speak the language, and that was always the problem – speaking decent German so I could start to work.”

As a third-country national, she needed a work permit, which she could not get without having a job – and a job was not attainable without German fluency. She was advised to expand her qualifications by enrolling on an intensive course in “German and medicine”, which took her where she wanted to go.

The current federal minister of education and research, Johanna Wanka, of the centre-right Christian Democrats, is determined to see more people benefit from the BQFG.

Yet there remains plenty of criticism, particularly from the Social Democrats and the Greens, who claim that the process is still too complicated and the fees too costly (on average about €420 (£359), according to Fosa spokesman Stephan Treu). Fosa does point out that some applicants would qualify for reimbursement of costs from federal unemployment agencies or social services.

Get your papers in order

Any other problems? “I would say it’s the amount of bureaucracy,” says Susanna Kenetti, an optician from Finland who has lived in Berlin for five years and runs a Finnish design shop with her German husband. She still hopes to work part-time as an optician, so she had her qualifications assessed by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce.

“They were helpful and thorough, and I am confident I will soon find a job,” she says. “But they asked for documents going back 20 years, and it took me a long time to gather everything up.”

She advises anyone coming to Germany to bring with them as much proof of qualifications as they can “and make sure you don’t lose them”.

Alongside substantial numbers of third-country nationals living and working in Germany, the country still exerts a strong attraction on EU nationals, with two-thirds coming from Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, in addition to a surge in numbers from southern Europe in the wake of the economic crises in Greece and Spain.

Many study at German universities, where the number of foreign first-year students totalled about 65,000 at the start of the 2011 academic year.

Yet Germany needs to be attractive to all foreigners, EU and other nationals, in order to prosper in the future, which means attention will continue to be focused on getting maximum use from the BQFG. The country desperately needs professionals throughout the health sector as well as in engineering and IT.

The forecast for Germany of declining population growth makes tax and social security contributions from workers across the globe very attractive – this is not an issue that will go away any time soon.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/foreign-doctors-in-germany-need-no-longer-be-taxi-drivers/2/2003516.article

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