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Wage Crisis Plagues Greek Health System as Professionals Depart
🇬🇷 Greece /Economy & Trade

Wage Crisis Plagues Greek Health System as Professionals Depart

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Healthcare professionals in Greece are leaving the National Health System (ESY) due to low wages and the elimination of 13th and 14th salaries.
  • Vacant positions are increasing as nurses, ambulance workers, and doctors earn significantly less than in the private sector or abroad.
  • This situation creates a staffing crisis and highlights wage disparities within the public health sector.

A significant exodus of young healthcare professionals from Greece's National Health System (ESY) is underway, driven by extremely low salaries and the removal of the 13th and 14th bonus payments for public sector employees. This trend is leading to unfilled positions and a preference for the private sector or employment abroad.

Nurses with university degrees reportedly earn around 850 euros per month, while assistant nurses receive approximately 750 euros, and ambulance workers around 700 euros. These figures, especially without the traditional bonus payments, are insufficient for basic living costs, such as rent. Doctors, meanwhile, earn less than 2,000 euros monthly, contributing to vacant positions across the system.

A university-educated nurse hired into the system receives 850 euros per month, and we don't have the bonuses, we don't have the 13th and 14th salary because we are public employees. A secondary education assistant nurse receives 750 euros per month, and the ambulance worker 700 euros per month. Imagine how a person can live when this money is not even enough for the house rent.

— Michalis GiannakosPresident of POEDIN, detailing the low salaries for healthcare workers.

The Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) highlighted that while their long-standing demand for inclusion in hazardous and unhealthy professions has been partially met, issues remain. Specifically, older permanent employees nearing retirement struggle to benefit from these changes, as they require retroactive premium payments. This creates a complex situation for those closest to retirement.

Furthermore, a notable disparity exists regarding the application of regulations for hazardous work. The relevant rules are applied to contract workers and newer permanent employees hired after 2011, but exclude other categories of permanent staff. This paradox leaves long-serving permanent employees in a less favorable position than their contract counterparts, exacerbating dissatisfaction within the public health workforce.

Thus, job postings are made which turn out to be vacant, and a doctor earns less than 2,000 euros per month. The job postings are vacant, and each of us tries, especially when young, to build a life, to find a job abroad.

— Michalis GiannakosExplaining the consequence of low wages on staffing levels.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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