A new regulation by the Ministry of Social Affairs plans to offer a starting grant to nurses who have received training and are registered as healthcare professionals but have not worked in the healthcare sector for at least the last five years.

To qualify for the grant, nurses must take up employment either in a hospital network hospital or with a general medical service provider in one of the three specified areas.

The starting grant for nurses is set at €30,000, similar to that for specialist doctors.

According to Health Minister Riina Sikkut (SDE), the creation of the starting grant will motivate nurses who have been working in other fields and away from healthcare to return to the sector and choose a professional job outside of major centers. "This is the first step towards alleviating the regional shortage of nurses," said Sikkut.

According to the National Institute for Health Development, from 2019 to 2022, the shortage of nurses was most acute in Ida-Viru County, Pärnu County, and Lääne-Viru County, following Harju County and Tartu County.

"We have added two more areas besides Ida-Viru County to the regulation, where the starting grant will be paid to nurses taking up employment," explained Sikkut. "Bringing nurses back to healthcare, along with increasing the number of training places, is an additional way to obtain the much-needed nurses for the healthcare sector. We hope to expand the grant to nurses working in other regions in the future."

The starting grant is a one-time payment aimed at motivating professionals to take up work in Estonian regions where finding employees is challenging.

Since 2012, 94 doctors have been directed to work away from major centers with the help of the starting grant.

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