site.btaGreek Doctors Working on Small Islands to Receive Additional EUR 1,500, PM Mitsotakis Announces

Greek doctors who agree to work on 47 small islands with under 4,000 inhabitants will receive an additional remuneration of 1,500 euros per month, the country's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on his Facebook page on Friday, as quoted by local media. 

In the publication, Mitsotakis specifies that the additional funds will be net and tax-free. “In practice, this almost doubles their salary,” he pointed out. "Many doctors are hesitant to go to work on small islands, especially in winter, and I understand that. The conditions are difficult and the needs are great. That is why we are giving another really strong incentive to serve on the smallest islands of our country," Mitsotakis added. 

The program is reportedly worth about EUR 10 million. It will last seven years and foresees about 80 doctors on 47 small islands receiving the additional remuneration on top of their salaries. 

The online edition of Kathimerini newspaper reported that Prime Minister Mitsotakis also mentioned the initiative during his speech on Thursday at the Maximos government residence, where he hosted an event dedicated to a donation of the Stelios Haji-Ioannou Charitable Foundation to the National Healthcare Service. The donation was for the purpose of financial support for medics working on the small islands.

Greek media recalled that the shortage of doctors on the small islands has been a long-standing problem due to isolation, difficult working conditions and higher living costs, especially in winter. Over the years, the state has introduced various incentives, but many positions remain unfilled and sometimes doctors have to be temporarily sent there from other regions. The new initiative is different because for the first time a private foundation is directly funding additional remuneration for doctors.