German health minister plans to increase minimum income for old patients' nurses

BERLIN - Germany is trying to combat an ever-growing demand of carers by increasing minimum income for nurses and professional carers, Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn said on German national television "ZDF" on Monday.

While admitting the change would be difficult in implementation on a legal level, the minister said it is important to introduce monetary incentives to attract more people to caring jobs.

The high share of temporary job contracts in caring professions, according to Spahn, also needs to be lowered and he would like to see more permanent employment.

The announcement came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to Ferdi Cebi, a carer for the elderly, who had invited Merkel during a television show.

The German National Health Insurance (GKV) welcomed the planned changes. "If you want good care, you have to pay well for it," Florian Lanz, spokesperson for the GKV, said. He stressed that a nationwide collective wage for all professional carers would be a major and important step.

Patients' associations also lauded the plans but cautioned against an additional financial burden on those in need of care.

Eugen Brysch, member of the board of directors of a patients' foundation, told the German Press Agency (dpa) on Monday that "50 percent of the residents are already on welfare. Merkel and Spahn must therefore make a binding declaration that the necessary money for appropriate wages will be borne by the nursing care insurance and from tax revenues."