A joint investigation by German publication “Der Spiegel” and ZDF, alongside international partners including “The Standard” and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, has revealed a concerning gap in Germany’s medical licensing procedures. The investigation indicates that more than 30 physicians are currently working in Germany who have had their medical licenses revoked in other countries, often due to serious treatment errors or convictions for sexual abuse.
Under German law, individuals without proper medical accreditation (“Approbation”) are prohibited from practicing medicine. This system intends to guarantee that all practitioners possess the necessary skills and qualifications to safeguard public health. However, the current process allows physicians who previously held a German license to continue working, irrespective of any revocation or legal action taken against them in other nations.
The investigation highlights that approximately one hundred physicians annually lose their licenses in Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom alone, with potentially hundreds more facing similar repercussions across Europe. These revocations stem from a range of issues, including substandard medical care and criminal convictions.
A European alert system, integrated within the Internal Market Information System (IMI), has been in place for over twelve years. Designed to prevent physicians from relocating to avoid scrutiny, the system aims to ensure that relevant authorities are notified of any disciplinary actions taken against medical professionals.
Despite the existence of this alert system, its effectiveness in Germany appears limited. Between 2020 and 2024, a query of German state health ministries revealed that only 141 medical professionals had their licenses revoked. This represents a minute fraction – approximately 0.03 percent – of the over 400,000 practicing physicians in Germany.
Furthermore, many state ministries reported that these revocations were not directly linked to warnings received through the European alert system, while others were unable to confirm the connection. This discrepancy raises questions about the system’s operational efficiency and the potential for gaps in safeguarding patient care.
