(Reuters) Five years ago the arrival of a wave of refugees caused much consternation and fueled support for Germany’s far-right. Now, the country is turning to its migrant community to plug an anticipated shortage of medical staff battling the coronavirus.
The German government says it can double its number of intensive care beds, and even produce more ventilators, but a medical staffing crunch is shaping up as the Achilles heel of its strategy to fight the coronavirus.
In Saxony, the heartland of the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), the regional medical board is advertising for migrant doctors to help tackle an expected rise in cases.
“Foreign doctors who are in Saxony but do not yet have a license to practice medicine can help with corona(virus) care,” read a Facebook appeal.
