Witten/Herdecke University strengthens GP care in North Rhine-Westphalia

On 29 October 2021, Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) celebrated the founding of the new Institute of General Practice and Primary Care, the only one of its kind in Germany. The aim of the institute is to strengthen the profession of general practitioner, make it more attractive and link general practice science and practice in primary care more closely. In doing so, the university aims to prevent the impending shortage of GPs in outpatient healthcare.

"Securing GP care in the future, particularly in rural areas, is an important concern for me. To this end, we have already launched various instruments such as the GP action programme. An important building block is the expansion of study places in the field of general practice. After all, more young talent for the profession is key to counteracting a potential shortage of GPs. This is why we are supporting Witten/Herdecke University in increasing its study place capacities this year with around 15 million euros," explains Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann.

"We want to fascinate and inspire students for the subject of general practice."

"GPs look after the vast majority of the population and are the basis of our healthcare system, as we have now also seen in the coronavirus vaccination campaign. It is therefore important that general practice is adequately represented in research and teaching at universities. The UW/H was the first university to implement this with two chairs of general practice, making it a pioneer in an overdue development," adds Professor Klaus Weckbecker, who heads the new institute together with Professor Achim Mortsiefer.

Professor Mortsiefer, Head of the Chair of General Practice II and Patient Orientation in Primary Care, also emphasises the importance of the institute: "We want to fascinate and inspire students for the subject of general practice. There is an objective shortage of young talent in many medical specialisms. But the shortage of general practitioners with a broad range of specialisms is the most painful in the truest sense of the word. They can take over many tasks from other disciplines. If the last general practice closes locally, this will mean the end of local medical care."

Commitment to general practice

The new institute at the UW/H has set itself the goal of fully exploiting the enormous potential of general practice: the focus will be on the possibilities of ever-improving diagnostics and the potential of digitalisation. Another focus is the transfer from science to practice. The institute aims to process knowledge in such a way that it can be immediately transferred into daily practice: "Current medical knowledge is available to GPs at any time. But putting it into daily practice is a challenge," says Professor Mortsiefer.

The Institute of General Practice and Primary Care will continue to support doctors in further training beyond their studies right up to the point when they go into private practice. And this is where the circle closes: "These young GPs trained by us will train the next generation as academic teaching practices," emphasises Professor Weckbecker.

As the first university with two chairs of general practice in Germany, the UW/H is taking a step forward and making a clear commitment to general practice: "The UW/H is thus providing important impetus for modern and needs-based healthcare in the future. We need the next generation of capable doctors not only in the large hospitals in the conurbations - but above all in the rural regions with all their structural challenges," said the President of the UW/H, Professor Martin Butzlaff, who praised the commitment of the new institute at the celebrations.