NHS delighted to have the services of the physicians

It’s not exactly a well-trodden career path but two consultant physicians from Greece have made the perhaps unlikely move from Greece to Caithness.
NHS Highland has appointed two locum consultants from Greece to fill vacancies at Caithness General Hospital in Wick.
The health authority, which is striving to address a long-standing concern over the recruitment and retention of staff in remote and rural communities, is determined to maintain the highest possible level of services in Caithness.
But, having touched every possible base in its attempts to attract people to substantive consultants’ positions in Wick, it has offered one-year locum positions to the two Greek doctors.
Dr Nikolaos Zakynthinakis-Kyriakou took up his post on 11th March and Dr Petros Karsaliakos followed a week later. Both men are currently undergoing an intensive induction process.
Gill McVicar, Director of Operations for NHS Highland’s North and West Operational Unit, said: “We are delighted to have these two highly-experienced physicians join us, following the decision of two consultants at Caithness General Hospital to leave us.
“Recruitment challenges are not specific to Caithness but they are more keenly felt in places like this, where there is a very small pool of specialist staff. Furthermore, they are not specific to doctors. We are currently working with the Scottish Government to look at different ways of meeting the challenges faced by remote and rural communities in the future.”
She added: “We did everything we could to attract people to substantive posts in Caithness but to no avail. However, we are determined to ensure that the level of provision we provide there is as safe and sustainable as possible. These locum appointments reflect that and will allow us to consider how best we staff the hospital in the future.
“Both consultants, who were recruited through agencies, come to us with considerable experience and skills, and I am sure they will prove to be real assets to us and the Caithness community.”
NHS Highland will continue to try to recruit a third locum consultant’s post in Wick.