TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH, CHECK: Slovakia educates, Czechia employs, Germany overpays. The chain brain drain is gaining momentum.
The departure of doctors abroad is one of the problems that Slovakia has been facing for many years. Hospitals are highlighting a lack of staff, many clinics are unsuccessfully searching for successors to departing doctors, and experts warn that the aging medical population could worsen the situation in the future. The OECD also points out this issue, noting that the shortage of healthcare personnel is among the biggest challenges for the Slovak healthcare system.
Slovak doctors have improved financially in recent years. Basic wages are regularly adjusted for inflation and are linked to the average wage in the economy. Nevertheless, many healthcare workers claim that Slovakia still cannot compete with Western European countries, writes the Ministry of Health SR.
As of January 2026, the basic salary of a Slovak doctor without specialization is approximately 2,286 euros per month gross (about 56,700 CZK). A doctor with specialization has a guaranteed basic salary of approximately 3,810 euros per month (about 94,500 CZK). However, these amounts do not include services, emergency duties, or other allowances.
Real incomes are therefore significantly more varied. According to the latest salary survey by the Platy.sk portal, 80 percent of Slovak doctors earn between 2,157 and 5,682 euros gross per month (approximately 53,500 to 141,000 CZK). Less than 2,157 euros (53,500 CZK) is earned by ten percent of doctors, and more than 5,682 euros (141,000 CZK) by another ten percent, writes the Paylab portal.
The analysis by the magazine Trend further revealed that the top ten percent of the highest-earning doctors earn approximately 6,692 euros per month (around 166,000 CZK), with some individuals even surpassing the 10,000 euros monthly mark (approximately 248,000 CZK). However, this mainly involves experienced specialists, department heads, or doctors with multiple job contracts. (Magazine Medicina)
Czech Republic: The First Stop for Many Slovaks
If a Slovak doctor is considering moving abroad, they most often look to the Czech Republic. There is no language barrier, the healthcare systems are similar, and the recognition of qualifications is straightforward.
According to data from the portal Platy.cz, the salaries of Czech doctors range approximately from 58,000 CZK to 163,000 CZK per month gross. The range is wide because it includes young doctors without specialization and experienced specialists in leading positions.
A more detailed view is provided by the data from Czech hospitals.
Doctors' salaries in the Czech Republic primarily depend on the length of practice, achieved education, and acquired specialization. In public hospitals, they are classified into pay grades according to government tables, while in private facilities, their compensation is determined by individually negotiated wages, reports the website Mladí lékaři.
A young doctor, after completing university, starts in public healthcare at the 12th pay grade. Their basic gross monthly salary is approximately 42,800 CZK, which corresponds to about 34,000 CZK net without services and other bonuses. After completing the basic branch, which doctors usually achieve after approximately two and a half years of practice, they move to a higher pay grade. Their basic gross salary then increases to approximately 50,500 CZK per month.
Another significant increase in income comes after obtaining certification. A doctor with a specialization and at least five years of experience earns a basic gross salary of approximately 55,000 CZK per month according to the salary charts. However, in practice, their actual income is significantly higher.
The final amount of earnings is significantly influenced by allowances for night shifts, weekends, overtime, risky workplaces, or personal bonuses. Overtime, in particular, makes up a significant part of the total income for many hospital doctors.
Following an agreement between the Czech government, the medical chamber, and trade unions, the remuneration of healthcare workers has also increased starting in 2024. The income of graduates increased by approximately 5,000 CZK per month, doctors after the basic training by 8,000 CZK, and certified doctors by about 15,000 CZK per month.
Therefore, the average earnings of doctors in the Czech Republic are significantly higher than the base salary scales. Starting doctors often reach levels of 43,000 to 60,000 CZK per month when including services and bonuses. Doctors with specialization and several years of experience earn approximately 85,000 to 150,000 CZK per month depending on the field, hospital, and the number of services performed.
According to the data from the Czech Statistical Office, the average salary of doctors in hospitals was approximately 124,775 CZK per month, including bonuses and allowances (as of October 16, 2025). This corresponds to more than five thousand euros per month.
It is therefore not surprising that Czech hospitals are among the largest employers of Slovak doctors.
Even Czech Doctors Are Not Staying Home
It might seem that the Czech Republic is the final destination for Slovak doctors. However, the reality is different.
Czech healthcare has also been struggling with the departure of its own specialists for a long time. While Slovak doctors head to Prague, Brno, or Ostrava, some Czech doctors, after gaining experience, go even further west - primarily to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
This creates an interesting phenomenon that experts refer to as a chain brain drain. Slovakia loses doctors to the benefit of the Czech Republic; the Czech Republic subsequently loses professionals to Germany and Austria, which in turn compete with countries offering even higher salaries.
Germany: Standardized Salaries That Attract All of Europe
Germany is among the most popular destinations for healthcare professionals from Central Europe. The reasons are not only higher salaries but also modern hospitals, quality technical equipment, and better career growth opportunities.
According to the tariff tables of German hospitals published by the portal PraktischArzt - TV Ärzte VKA , a doctor in the first year after school (Assistenzarzt) earns approximately 5,610 euros gross per month (about 139,000 CZK). After several years of practice, their salary can increase to more than 7,200 euros per month (approximately 179,000 CZK).
A doctor with a specialization (Facharzt) starts at approximately 7,404 euros per month (about 184,000 CZK) and after years of practice can reach up to over 9,500 euros per month (approximately 236,000 CZK).
Senior doctors (Oberarzt) start at approximately 9,092 euros per month (about 226,000 CZK), according to the same salary tables, and at significant institutions, their earnings can be considerably higher.
OECD also ranks Germany among the countries with the highest incomes for medical specialists in Europe.
Austria: an attraction for doctors from the border region
Austria is among the countries that Slovak doctors have been observing for many years. The attraction is not only higher salaries but also more modern hospitals, better technical equipment, and improved working conditions. However, the situation is somewhat more complicated than in Germany, because individual federal states use their own remuneration systems.
According to an analysis by the ERI Economic Research Institute, the average gross income of a doctor in Austria is approximately 145,300 euros per year (about 3.6 million CZK), which represents more than 12,000 euros per month (approximately 298,000 CZK). Beginning doctors with up to three years of practice earn an average annual income of around 98,000 euros (about 2.43 million CZK), while experienced doctors with more than eight years of practice exceed 164,000 euros annually (roughly 4.07 million CZK).
Among self-employed doctors, the numbers are even higher. An Austrian study published in the scientific journal Health Policy showed that general practitioners with contracts with health insurance companies had a median income of 191,649 euros annually before tax (about 4.75 million CZK), while specialists had a median income of 210,988 euros annually (approximately 5.23 million CZK).
Switzerland is the European Salary King
If there is a country synonymous with high earnings among doctors, it is Switzerland.
According to an international comparison of doctors' incomes, the average income of a doctor in Switzerland is approximately 266,900 US dollars per year (about 5.7 million CZK), ranking among the highest in the world. However, this is an average of all doctors including private specialists, practice owners, and hospital experts. Therefore, it cannot be directly compared with the tariff salaries of hospital doctors in Slovakia or Germany, writes World Population Review.
When looking at specific positions, the differences are significant. Starting hospital doctors earn approximately 110,000 to 130,000 Swiss francs annually (about 3 to 3.6 million CZK). Hospital specialists often exceed the threshold of 200,000 francs annually (roughly 5.5 million CZK), and successful specialists in private practice can achieve incomes exceeding 300,000 to 500,000 francs annually (approximately 8.2 to 13.7 million CZK).
Of course, there are also higher living costs. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, yet it remains one of the most attractive destinations for doctors from the entire continent, writes Hiremedstaff.
Despite the high living costs, Switzerland remains one of the most sought-after countries for healthcare professionals from all over Europe.
Slovakia will need doctors more and more
Demographic forecasts are not very optimistic. The population is aging, the need for medical care is increasing, and many doctors are approaching retirement age.
The question is not just about how much doctors earn today. Much more important is whether Slovakia will have enough specialists in ten or twenty years who will be able to provide medical care for the aging population.
While in Slovakia, most doctors earn between 2,157 and 5,682 euros per month (53,500 to 141,000 CZK) according to Platy.sk, their colleagues in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland can achieve significantly higher incomes. This is why working abroad remains a very attractive choice for many Slovak doctors.
Not only doctors are leaving. The Czech Republic attracts other educated Slovaks too
The move for better conditions is not limited to healthcare professionals. A similar trend can be observed in a number of other professions. The latest data shows that Slovaks working in the Czech Republic belong to one of the above-average earning groups of employees. According to data from the Czech Information System on average earnings, the median gross monthly income of Slovaks working in the Czech Republic was approximately 49,000 CZK per month. This is more than the average income for all employees in the Czech Republic and significantly more than the average wage in Slovakia.
Interestingly, the average Slovak working in the Czech Republic earns approximately 20% more than the average Czech employee. While the average gross wage in the Czech economy reached approximately 52,283 crowns per month at the end of 2025, the incomes of many Slovaks exceed this level, writes Statistika.cz.
According to experts, this is not a coincidence. It is not random workers who leave for the Czech Republic, but largely university-educated individuals such as doctors, nurses, IT specialists, scientists, technicians, or managers. This is precisely why they achieve higher incomes than the Czech average. Moreover, the Czech economy has long struggled with a shortage of skilled labor and is trying to attract experts from abroad, writes OECD.
For Slovakia, however, it is a less favorable report. The country invests in the education of young people, but a portion of them subsequently leave for places where they can better utilize their knowledge and skills. This is why there is increasingly talk about the so-called "brain drain." Although doctors are one of the most visible groups, they are certainly not the only one.
Source: author text, OECD Country Health Profile Slovakia, Ministry of Health SR, Paylab (Platy.sk), Medicina Magazine (Trend), Platy.cz, Young Doctors, Czech Statistical Office, PraktischArzt - TV Ärzte VKA, OECD Health at a Glance 2025, ERI Economic Research Institute, Health Policy, World Population Review, Hiremedstaff.com
