Parliament funds doctors' housing in Kastellorizo

Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis announced on Monday, 14 September 2026, during his visit to Kastellorizo, that the Hellenic Parliament would undertake the repair of two homes on the island, with a budget of 150,000 euros. According to the announcement, the two homes will be provided free of charge to rural doctors, nursing staff and teachers serving on the border island, to ensure them decent housing during their tenure. Mr. Kaklamanis stated that “through this intervention, Parliament offers a practical solution to a long-standing request from the local community.” The announcement was made as part of a three-day visit by the Parliament Speaker to the island, which included a series of events and contacts with the local community.

The lack of adequate housing is, according to the announcement, a fundamental obstacle to staffing public health and education services in the border islands of the Aegean. In small and remote communities like Kastellorizo, the absence of available housing makes it difficult to place and retain rural doctors, nurses and teachers, with the result that these positions often remain vacant or are filled with delays, especially when candidates do not have their own accommodation on their island of appointment. The issue does not affect Kastellorizo alone; similar staffing problems have been recorded on other small islands, such as recently in Anafi, where the absence of a permanent rural doctor revealed the difficulties in managing emergency cases (related report). The Parliament’s funding aims to remove, at least in part, this particular obstacle for the island, without however constituting an overall solution to the broader staffing issue.

Kastellorizo, also known as Megisti, is the easternmost point of Greece, with a small permanent population and a great distance from Rhodes, factors that make staffing public services particularly demanding compared to larger Aegean islands. The Parliament Speaker’s visit was part of celebrations marking the 83rd anniversary of the island’s liberation on 13 September 1943, and included a liturgy at the Metropolitan Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, laying a wreath at the memorial to the fallen, as well as visits to the neighbouring islands of Ro and Strongyli. On Ro, Mr. Kaklamanis laid a wreath at the monument of the “Lady of Ro.” The visit took place a few days after the announcement by the General Staff of National Defence of airspace violations over the Aegean on 12 September 2026 (related report), a fact that underscores the geographical position of the border islands of the eastern Aegean at the country’s borders.

The Parliament’s announcement was not accompanied by a specific schedule for the start or completion of repair works, nor was the contractor undertaking the project announced. The exact mechanism through which the two homes will be provided to the beneficiaries has also not been clarified, nor whether the initiative is envisaged to be extended to other border islands with corresponding public service staffing problems. The question also remains open as to whether this move will be combined with broader policies to strengthen employment in the regions, as the government had recently announced record employment at national level (related report). The local community of Kastellorizo, as well as the island’s health and education services, are expected to monitor the implementation of this commitment in the coming months.