The leadership of the Ministry of Health is striving intensively to fill gaps in the National Health System (NHS) and meet citizens’ needs in Primary Healthcare (PHC).

The shortage of internists and general practitioners—core specialties for PHC (Personal Doctors) and frontline specialties for hospitals—remains a critical issue for the healthcare system despite significant corrective efforts in recent years.

The year 2025 is considered pivotal, as short-term relief measures will be implemented for the struggling PHC, such as converting rural doctors into Personal Doctors. Positions will open nationwide to allow citizens to register. At the same time, efforts are underway to create a long-term, stable pool of Personal Doctors to staff PHC and hospitals with internists and general practitioners.

44% Without a Doctor

Currently, the country has 2,215 Personal Doctors working in the public system (health centers and local health units, or TOMY). Additionally, 1,272 private doctors—internists and general practitioners—have joined PHC, a small number relative to the total number of these specialists.

Approximately 5 million citizens are registered with a Personal Doctor, representing 56% coverage nationwide—leaving nearly 4 out of 10 Greeks without a Personal Doctor.

The Health Ministry’s timeline, tied to PHC funding from the Recovery Fund, sets the end of 2025 as the first milestone, aiming for 75% of citizens to have a Personal Doctor. The second milestone is 2027, with a goal of 90% coverage. According to ministry estimates, approximately 1,500–2,000 doctors are needed, with 60% of them required in Attica.

New Plans and Financial Incentives

A Joint Ministerial Decision, signed by the Ministries of Health and Finance at the end of the year, introduces a one-off financial incentive of €40,000 for graduates who choose to specialize in General/Family Medicine or Internal Medicine starting this year. This measure is expected to attract new doctors to the healthcare system and gradually reduce the shortage in these specialties.

Specifically, any new doctor who chooses in 2025 to train in General/Family Medicine or Internal Medicine at hospitals with vacant positions and no waiting lists will receive €40,000. The payment will be made in two phases: two-thirds at the start of training and one-third upon completion of the five-year specialization. For the current year, the Ministry of Health has allocated an initial €2 million for this bonus, covering approximately 50 doctors. It is worth noting that similar targeted financial incentives were introduced to attract anesthesiologists during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when shortages in this critical specialty were most acute.

Reactions

Hospital doctors note that, given trainees generally earn around €1,300 per month, this one-off bonus significantly increases the total earnings of internists and general practitioners during their five-year specialization, bringing them in line with their counterparts in European countries. However, this bonus applies exclusively to these specialties, sparking reactions within the medical community as it widens the salary gap among trainees of different fields.

For the Ministry of Health, offering bonuses became inevitable following the dramatic developments of last summer when a lack of dozens of internists caused severe disruptions in regional hospitals. Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis’ appeals for private practitioners to fill these positions, offering substantial daily pay of up to €250, were largely ineffective. These shortages also prompted reforms in the hiring process for so-called “hard-to-fill” positions in hospitals, though these changes have not yielded significant results.

Urban Centers

The ministerial decision also stipulates that all General/Family Medicine trainees must provide mandatory Personal Doctor services in Health Centers during the fifth year of their specialization. This aims to equip them with valuable frontline healthcare experience while strengthening the primary care system where citizen demand is high. In practice, these trainees will serve as a critical reserve for the healthcare system, particularly PHC.

This year, with the goal of achieving 75% citizen coverage by Personal Doctors, the Ministry of Health is expanding the role of rural doctors, who will now also serve as Personal Doctors in their regions. This applies not only to rural areas but also urban centers, triggering resistance.

Finally, to ensure all citizens are matched with a Personal Doctor, individuals will be allowed until June 2025 to designate their private physician as their Personal Doctor, assuming the associated costs privately. After the first half of 2025, registrations will be automatically assigned by the system based on doctor availability.