Journalist Stella Stylianou also deals with the mass descent to Cyprus of hundreds of doctors from Greece in a report by TA NEA, hosting statements by the Minister of Health of Cyprus, Neophytos Charalambides.
According to the NEA website, about 3,400 doctors work in Cyprus in total in the health system (GHS). Of these, about 860 are doctors coming from Greece and choose to work in Cyprus, mainly for financial reasons. For these doctors, the General Health System of Cyprus is attractive to doctors and patients.
Speaking to "NEA", the Minister of Health Neophytos Charalambidis answers the question "what makes the GHS attractive".
"What we can say with certainty is that the GHS has some important features that make it particularly beneficial, both for citizens and health professionals. First, it ensures the universal and equal access of citizens to health services, through an organized operating framework. Secondly, it offers the patient the option of choosing a personal doctor and service provider, strengthening the relationship of trust between patient and doctor. At the same time, the system combines the participation of the public and private sectors in a common operating framework, which enhances the availability of services and the possibility of better serving citizens.
In addition, the digitization of many procedures and the continuous upgrading of infrastructure contribute substantially to improving the daily experience of both patients and healthcare professionals. Most importantly, however, the GHS remains an evolving system. We listen to the needs of citizens and health professionals and are constantly working to improve its quality and efficiency."
Paediatrician-neonatologist Irini Christopoulou, who worked at the Agia Sophia Children's Hospital in Athens (for two years), then left Greece and went to Britain, to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University Hospital of Cambridge, where, as she told "NEA", "the working conditions were excellent for a young scientist".
However, "nostalgia for Greece and our extended family was what made us return in 2015." She was hired by the Greek NHS in the position of Registrar B in the neonatal intensive care unit of the University Hospital of Patras. The experience was not positive, mainly due to the long working hours and lack of planning.
When the Covid pandemic broke out, she was informed that there was a position as a neonatologist at the Limassol hospital, applied and was hired. "It seemed like the perfect scenario. The environment was more organized, the conditions much better in everything. The system is similar to the British one."
Would she return to Greece if the earnings were similar? The answer to NEA is no... "No one lives on €2,000 a month. Plus the fact that we worked 60 hours a week with the payment of on-call shifts being delayed for months. And to these we should add high taxation."
