The incentives for attracting and retaining NHS doctors in problematic and barren areas were announced by Health Minister Adonis Georgiades, announcing that the Joint Ministerial Decision he co-signed with Kostis Hatzidakis was signed and sent for publication in the Official Gazette.

In a post on X, Mr. Georgiadis elaborated on the financial incentives, while the Joint Ministerial Decision also defines the problematic and barren lines of category A and B.

Specifically, as the ministerial decision provides, “In physicians/dentists of the NHS branch serving in health structures located in problematic and arid areas of category A’ shall be paid a monthly financial incentive of 300 € for attracting and staying in the area, and in problematic and arid areas of category B’ shall be paid a monthly financial incentive of 200 € for attracting and staying in the area.”

To doctors of the following specialties: internal medicine, general/family medicine, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, neurology, pathological anatomy, radiology, medical biopathology/laboratory medicine, child and adolescent psychiatry, cytology, pathological oncology, as well as (b) the specialties of pulmonology-physiology, neurosurgery, surgery, paediatric surgery, thoracic surgery and cardiology serving in adult/pediatric intensive care units, shall be paid, in addition to the above, a monthly financial incentive of EUR 300 per month if they are serving in a problem and arid area of category A and (b) in addition to the above, a financial incentive of EUR 200 if they are serving in a problem and arid area of category B’.

According to the Minister of Health, with the CSA,

“(a) Doctors/dentists of the NHS branch serving in health structures located in problematic and arid areas of category A’, will receive, in addition to their basic salary, €3,600 gross per year and, in case the doctor holds one of the 18 specialties, €7,200.

(b) Doctors/dentists of the NHS branch serving in health structures located in problematic and arid areas of category B, will receive, in addition to their basic salary, 2,400€ gross per year and, in case the doctor has one of the 18 specialties, 4,800€ gross per year”.