ATHENS – A female doctor who complained she was not hired by Greece's National Health System that is trying to fill gaps in ranks left by the suspension of unvaccinated workers wasn't qualified for the spot, officials said.

The Health Ministry rejected allegations from the doctor, with Kathimerini reporting she is a biopathologist and microbiologist, specialities in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The fact that a woman is rejected for this reason should be of concern for all doctors, of all genders, who are claiming a place in the National Health System. They push us not to have children, if not outright to get sterilized,” she told Open TV in an interview.

But the Health Ministry said she was passed over for another more qualified physician and that the the applicant who didn't get the position didn't meet the standards that were set.

“This doctor had the most formal qualifications (qualifications and previous service) – hence the highest score – and the same marital status as the complainant,” the ministry said of who was appointed.

It stressed that, “motherhood could in no way be a deterrent to recruitment into the National Health System,” and being one doesn't disqualify a doctor from being recruited or hired by the state.