Bavaria Faces Shortage of 500 General Practitioners in Rural Areas

State offers financial incentives to attract medical professionals to underserved regions as aging workforce exacerbates the issue.

Bavaria currently has around 500 unfilled general practitioner positions, with rural areas facing the greatest challenges in healthcare access.
The average age of general practitioners in the state is 55, raising concerns about the impact of retirements on the medical workforce.
Since 2012, Bavaria has provided financial incentives of up to €60,000 for doctors and €20,000 for psychotherapists who establish practices in towns with populations under 20,000.
Over 1,300 medical practices have been supported through the Landarztprämie program, including 881 for general practitioners, with €87.75 million allocated to the initiative since its inception.
In 2024 alone, 153 applications for the program were submitted, with 125 already approved, benefiting a variety of specialists alongside general practitioners.