The German Hospital Federation (DKG) has warned against the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s plans to push a large proportion of Syria’s remaining residents back to their home country over the next few years.
“Syrian physicians make up the largest group among foreign doctors in Germany” said DKG deputy chairman Henriette Neumeyer during an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. “They are therefore highly significant for health care” she added.
At the end of 2024, 5,745 Syrian doctors were working in German hospitals. Syrian nursing staff are also deemed crucial, with the DKG estimating more than 2,000 Syrian nurses in German care facilities. Neumeyer warned that if these professionals were to leave again, the effect on patient care would be noticeable. In her view, forcing a return would not serve the interests of the health system.
At a joint press conference on Monday in Berlin with Syrian transitional president Ahmed al‑Scharaa, Merz stated that roughly 80 % of the Syrians still living in Germany should leave the country and return home within a longer-term horizon of the next three years.
