Lack of nurses to be resolved by scholarships

Nursing students are to receive scholarships of 2,000 euro per academic year based on the stabilization contributions approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday. The total sum allocated for this measure is over 2.7 million euros and it should tackle the problem of missing medical personnel in the Slovak health system. According to the analysis by the Health Policy Institute, around 3,550 nurses are currently missing in Slovak hospitals. The main condition for obtaining the new scholarship is that its receivers stay and work in Slovakia for at least six years following their graduation. The Slovak chamber of nurses is expressing its concerns regarding the move. They suggest that a rise in nurses' salaries would be more efficient in keeping them in Slovakia.