Croatia - Health Care System

General - Croatian Health Insurance

Croatia - still on the way into the EU - passed new health care laws in the 90s. Old ideologies were pushed to the side and new paths were trod upon. The new role of responsibility for the health care system is now assumed by several powers: the state (subsidised system), independent carriers, provinces, and the free market. There is a sort of mixed financing of the public health sector.

There are furthermore three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary care. The politics of heath care and the financing of the public health sector are now the concern of the Ministry of Health. In the implementation thereof, further organs are active in supporting roles.

1. The Health Council consists of nine experts in various subjects who are active in supporting functions;
2. The Ministry of Finance assumes a type of controlling function with regard to the spending politics of the Ministry of Health;
3. Control and financing of hospitals, polyclinics, health centres, care facilities, and public health institutions are now the concern of provinces with regard to their respective organisational structures.

A further place of coordination, the health care insurance institution HZZO, carries out the tasks of allocation and administration of funds and finances that are necessary in health institutions.

In the health care laws passed in 1993, three substantial principles were enacted which underscore this system's equality and joint participation in particular:

1. All citizens enjoy equal entitlement and access requirements for the use of health care institutions.
2. The concept of solidarity should be strengthened.
3. The health insurance institution (HZZO) with its 21 associated regional dependents assumes a centralist orientation.

Structure and Benefits - Croatian Health Insurance

In Croatia there is a system of primary doctors, i.e. primary care represents the entry level of the health care system. In this context, the following institutions are available: centres for medical first aid, health houses, inpatient and outpatient nursing services, and pharmacies.

From the perspective of popular general medical care, these can be described as good. In terms of technical training, doctors in primary care are generally higher qualified and have completed a program for medical specialists in the areas of general medicine, occupational medicine, gynaecology, emergency medicine, or a program for pediatricians.

In the past, attempts were made to promote stronger measures for the implementation of house doctors and integrate them into the health care system.

In almost every province there are general hospitals in which over 50% of all doctors work. All of the larger cities have hospitals and in some areas polyclinics or »Dom Zdravlja« exist, while smaller localities have ambulances and pharmacies. As the country's capital, Zagreb has the largest variety of medical care at its disposal. The clinics, polyclinics, hospitals, and departments of specialisation altogether form 30 institutions.

In addition to flat-rate hospital costs for accommodation and care, all other cost factors such as medications, bed count, personnel keys, and administration are calculated. Doctors' services are documented using a point scale.

Through private health insurance, additional costs for a more comfortable clinical stay or particularly expensive diagnostic measures is taken into account and covered.
There are efforts to make private insurance benefits more attractive, either as additional complementary insurance to statutory insurance or as substitute private insurance for citizens whose income exceeds established statutory insurance limits.

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