The National Health System (NHS) in Greece employs around 18,000 nurses (15,000 permanent and the rest temporary), along with another 18,000 in nursing-related roles (such as midwives, nursing assistants, orderlies, etc.). However, according to international standards, there should be 68,000, or 2.03 nurses per bed, reports Kathimerini.
Additionally, there should be one nurse per 4-5 beds per shift, but in Greece, the ratio is only one nurse per 20 beds.
For example, at Thriassio Hospital, staff report that 2 or 3 nurses and their assistants per shift are responsible for 30 or more patients, while in the maternity ward, there are not enough midwives to ensure safe operation.
Greece ranks last with 3.3 nurses per 1,000 residents, alongside China and Mexico, while the European average is 8 per 1,000.
Last year, less than 50% of the available spots in nursing schools were filled during the nationwide exams. According to Giorgos Avramidis, president of the Panhellenic Union of Nurses (PESY), “For a student to choose nursing, they need to know they will find a job immediately after graduation, have decent working conditions, and receive good pay. However, this is not the reality in Greece.”
Mr. Avramidis also emphasizes that nurses working in the NHS often resign, either because they leave the profession or move abroad.
At the same time, Michalis Giannakos, president of POEDHN, points out that the monthly salary of a newly appointed permanent nursing staff member with a university degree is €836 (compared to €803 in 2011).
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