Berlin's General Practitioners Handle High Patient Loads

General practitioners (GPs) in Berlin are responsible for a significantly higher number of patients compared to their counterparts in Bavaria, according to recent data from a foundation. In 2024, the density of GPs in Berlin and Saarland was notably low, with each general practitioner in the capital serving approximately 1,534 residents, while in Saarland, the figure was slightly lower at 1,521. In contrast, Bavaria boasted the highest density of general practitioners, with one GP responsible for just 1,244 patients. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranked second in the country, with a ratio of 1,287 patients per GP.

Other regions that exceeded the national average of 1,371 residents per GP included Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Thuringia, each with over 1,400 residents per practitioner. Meanwhile, Niedersachsen, Bremen, and Hamburg were close to the national average, with ratios ranging from 1,376 to 1,400. More favorable conditions for GPs were observed in Saxony, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein, where the patient-to-GP ratios ranged from 1,305 to 1,352.

The study also highlighted a trend regarding employment status among medical professionals. In 2024, female physicians were more likely to be employed rather than running their practices independently, with 66.5% of female doctors, 75.1% of female dentists, and 90.3% of female psychological psychotherapists owning their practices. In comparison, 73.6% of male doctors, 85.5% of male dentists, and 93.6% of male psychotherapists had their own practices.

The relevance of independent practices is diminishing within the German healthcare system. In 2022, the proportion of independent physicians was 72.6%, but this number declined to 70.3% by 2024. Conversely, the percentage of doctors employed in medical care centers (MVZ) increased from 13.8% in 2022 to 16.2% in 2024, translating to an increase of approximately 7,000 physicians in two years.

In 2024, dentists emerged as the largest group among outpatient healthcare providers, accounting for 20.4% of the total, followed by psychological psychotherapists at 11.9%. The leading medical specialty among outpatient providers was internal medicine, comprising 6.6%, followed by gynecology at 4.9% and orthopedics at 4.1%.