Before pediatrician Christos Pavelis first arrived on the picturesque and popular Cyclades island of Serifos, residents had gone roughly 15 years without a permanent children’s doctor.
Nearly three years later, the physician from western Greece has become a fixture of life on the small Cycladic Isle, where he and his wife, a midwife, have chosen to settle as part of an effort to strengthen healthcare services in a community that swells dramatically during the summer tourist season.
Pavelis, who previously worked for years in a public hospital after beginning his medical career in mainland Greece, started visiting Serifos before deciding in 2023 to relocate through successive temporary assignments. He has since applied for a permanent position and helped organize pediatric services at the island’s regional medical center.
His arrival addressed a long-standing shortage on an island of about 1,300 permanent residents that can attract more than 12,000 people during peak summer months. The facility now offers laboratory and radiology services that were previously unavailable locally, reducing the need for families to travel to Athens for routine pediatric care.
Despite improvements, staffing remains a challenge. Pavelis is currently the island’s only specialist physician, supported by a small team that includes physicians completing mandatory rural service before acquiring specialization, nurses, medical technicians and drivers. Most staff members have relocated from elsewhere in Greece as well.
He said recruitment difficulties extend beyond salaries, pointing to a lack of suitable housing, a high cost of living, seasonal employment opportunities for spouses and the challenges of working in a remote island environment where bad weather can delay medical evacuations.
The case highlights a broader challenge facing Greece’s island healthcare system. Authorities have increased financial incentives in recent years to attract doctors to remote areas, particularly in the Cyclades and other tourism-dependent islands that face sharp seasonal population increases.
Serifos, a sparsely populated island in the western Cyclades known for its mining heritage, rugged landscapes and skyrocketing tourism sector, has become emblematic of the pressures confronting smaller Aegean islands as visitor numbers rise faster than public services can expand. Recent efforts have focused on improving healthcare infrastructure and securing permanent medical staff, but vacancies remain difficult to fill in many island communities.
Pavelis said long-term success depends on building stable teams rather than relying on short-term postings, arguing that continuity of care is essential for residents who have experienced years of limited access to medical services.
