Croatian region offers €250 monthly bonus as healthcare worker shortage deepens
- by croatiaweek
- in News
A Croatian regional authority is introducing a new financial package aimed at addressing a shortage of healthcare workers, including a €250 monthly bonus and 50 scholarships for future nurses and technicians.
The Primorje-Gorski Kotar County says its primary healthcare system is currently short of 29 nurses and technicians, particularly in family medicine and community nursing.
Around 350 healthcare workers will receive the additional payment during the final three months of 2026.
The so-called nursing bonus will amount to €250 net per month from October to December, with almost €480,000 allocated for the measure. The county has also announced that funding for the bonus will continue throughout 2027, with the possibility of extending it to other county healthcare institutions facing recruitment problems.
The county says the measure is part of a wider strategy to address the shortage rather than a standalone pay increase.
A second part of the package is aimed at students. Fifty scholarships will be offered during the 2026/27 school year to students studying to become nurses or medical technicians.
The scholarships will range from €200 per month for first-year students to €400 for students in their fifth year. The scholarships are paid for ten months of the school year.
Students receiving the support will, if there is a need, be expected to work for three years in a healthcare or social-care institution established by the county after completing their education. That obligation is suspended if they continue their education in the healthcare field.
The county says the measures are being introduced against a backdrop of increasing difficulty in recruiting and retaining medical staff.
Officials also highlighted pressure on primary healthcare services, where staff shortages can become particularly visible during periods of increased demand.
The county plans to continue funding medical specialisations alongside the new scholarships and salary incentives.
The measures highlight a wider challenge facing healthcare systems in Croatia and across Europe: attracting enough trained staff while retaining workers already employed in the public system.
