Germany's health care system is strained – and so are its workers. Ja'afar Sarki explains why he's quitting care work, despite his love for helping others.
00:00Healthcare workers in Germany are burning out fast.
00:03Many say they are stressed and underpaid, but their complaints are largely unheard.
00:09That's why some are walking away from the profession.
00:12Trained nurse Jafar Asadki has been a care worker here for the last seven years.
00:17I have always been drawn to helping people.
00:22So a nursing profession gives me a chance to make a real difference.
00:28But his passion is fading.
00:31A recent survey of some 200 physicians in Germany showed that 35% of them are likely to leave their jobs within five years due to stress and a huge workload.
00:42Nurses and care workers are struggling with heavy workloads too.
00:46The pandemic, a high demand for healthcare and a labour shortage are to blame.
00:51The crisis has brought Asadki to his breaking point.
00:54Because inasmuch as there are many staff, so the load of the work will be less.
01:00But if there is less staff, definitely there will be much overload of work for many people, whereby stress will be higher.
01:09You understand?
01:10Asadki works at a retirement home in Hennef, Western Germany.
01:14Some months, he is on duty for up to 20 days with shifts that require him to be up at 5 a.m.
01:20It takes him around 40 minutes to get to work.
01:24Even if I have a pre-day, sometimes if I am free, so if someone falls sick, then you can receive a call.
01:31You understand that, please, you can come because so-so-so person is not there.
01:35The workload in Germany's care facilities is constant and the pressure unrelenting.
01:41Care workers can be expected to monitor vitals, manage medication and documentation as well as update families and more.
01:48I consider that the nature of the work, that means the stressful nature of the stressfulness of the work and the pay, you understand.
02:00And all into the fact that the life is expensive here.
02:06So I see that definitely I will not go along with this work.
02:11The salaries for nurses and care workers here are among the lowest in Western Europe.
02:16Despite the responsibility and pressure, compensation hasn't kept pace with inflation.
02:22That means many in the healthcare system are working more for less.
02:27And for Sarki, it's time to do something different.
02:31That is the reason which motivated me to obtain my bachelor's degree.
02:36So I am hoping after an academy that is at a station, so I am switching to another profession.
02:43I am still in healthcare, but into management.
