ATHENS – GNUSA
The Greek Health Ministry is taking decisive action to address critical shortages in key medical specialties by offering a €40,000 incentive to new doctors who choose in 2025 to train in either General/Family Medicine or Internal Medicine at public hospitals with vacant positions and without waiting lists.
The joint ministerial decision was signed by both the Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry on December 27.
“The shortage of medical staff, particularly GPs, is currently the biggest challenge facing public healthcare systems, not just in Greece but across the entire European Union”, said Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis.
This one-off bonus of 40,000 euros will be paid in two phases: two-thirds at the beginning of the training period and the remaining one-third upon completion. In addition, all resident doctors of General / Family Medicine will mandatorily serve, during the fifth year of their specialization, as personal doctors at Health Centers, the Health Ministry announced.
This will allow them to “receive valuable practical experience, strengthen their clinical knowledge and skills on the front-line of health care”.
According to a Health Ministry announcement, the strengthening of these specialties will help address the hospital staffing shortages and lead to a substantial upgrade of the quality of healthcare services provided across the country. Through this reform, the Ministry of Health is attracting new doctors in areas that are critical to the National Health System.
