Tomorrow, June 17, is the deadline for submitting applications for the large-scale recruitment drive for 1,131 physician positions in the National Health System, and a short extension may be granted, said Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistokleous.
“The call for applications covers all medical specialties and the entire country, including positions in major urban centers as well as in the provinces, on the islands, and in remote areas,” Mr. Themistokleous noted while speaking on the television station “MEGANEWS”.
The Deputy Minister of Health reported that participation has been strong so far. In Attica in particular, there may even be five or six candidates for a single position, while in regional and remote areas the number of candidates is usually smaller, he said. He also explained that in areas where positions had repeatedly remained unfilled, a large number of additional positions were announced. In other words, instead of announcing just one or two positions, in many cases four or five were announced simultaneously in order to increase the chances of attracting doctors.
Regarding incentives for islands, border regions, and filling unfilled positions, the Deputy Minister of Health noted that “in recent years, doctors’ salaries and on-call pay have increased, taxes have been reduced, additional incentives have been introduced for border and remote areas, and in many areas, local governments at the first or second level provide housing for doctors.” Mr. Themistokleous noted that “of the 300 particularly challenging positions that had been identified in the region and on the islands, approximately two-thirds have already been filled.” Despite this significant improvement, he acknowledged that there are still areas where attracting medical personnel remains difficult.
He placed particular emphasis on the 3,000 support staff positions, noting: “3,000 support staff positions are planned for the entire country. As for Attica, the relevant application portal has already closed, and those who have submitted an application will be hired.” Participation was described as higher compared to previous similar processes. At the same time, he announced that “in the coming days, the platform will open for the recruitment of auxiliary nursing staff in the region, as well as to fill positions in other professional fields.”
SOURCE: APE