Niko Ringhoff, who runs the butcher's shop in the northwestern
village of Lette, is offering a doctor willing to move to the 2,200-strong
community free meaty lunches and a complimentary sausage-themed feast when the
new surgery opens. "Everybody wants to do something to help get a doctor,"
he told Reuters.
"We all want to give him a warm welcome and make sure he
feels at home here. We desperately need a doctor, but it's difficult to attract
one to the countryside." Marion Funke, who runs the local hotel with her
husband, is offering a doctor a place to stay for free until he or she finds
permanent accommodation.
Other services with which the community hopes to
entice a doctor include haircuts on the house at the local salon, complimentary
bread rolls from the local baker and free flower arrangements for the surgery
from the local florist.
