ZAGREB, March 19, 2019 – A national children’s hospital in Zagreb, a national cancer prevention plan, improvement of emergency medical services, introduction of mobile clinics and changes to the law on mandatory health insurance are only some of the projects Health Minister Milan Kujundžić announced for this year at a business breakfast held by the American Chamber of Commerce in Zagreb on Tuesday.
Addressing the event, which focused on the sustainability of the national healthcare system, Kujundžić said that everything was ready for the project to build a national children’s hospital in Zagreb and that an international tender would be advertised in the coming days.
“A feasibility study has been prepared and money for it will come from EU funds. In the next few days an international tender will be advertised so that we can apply for EU funding,” he said.
Kujundžić noted that the feasibility study cost 37 million kuna and that the construction of the hospital and its equipment would cost around 100 million euro.
Speaking of projects that had been implemented over the past two years, Kujundžić cited amendments to healthcare legislation, the introduction of priority waiting lists, functional integration of hospitals, an expensive drugs fund and the procurement of expensive equipment.
We are especially proud of priority waiting lists for specialist examinations which helped treat around 22,000 seriously ill patients in 2018, said the minister.
Speaking about day hospitals in different parts of the country, Kujundžić said that specialists from Split already worked at the day clinic in Zagvozd and that specialists from Dubrovnik would be working in a day clinic that would start operating in Metković today.
With regard to other demands for better healthcare in Metković, Kujundžić said that a framework had been defined to link the town’s emergency service, laboratory and day clinic with the hospital in Mostar, in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The minister also mentioned projects to build hospitals in Pula and Rijeka, higher allocations for expensive medicines, a project to introduce the first robot surgical team, and an increase in the number of specialist internship programmes.
Kujundžić also said that an agreement on speedboats to transport patients from islands to the mainland would be signed in the next few months.
He dismissed speculation that the supplementary health insurance fee would be increased.
More news about Croatian healthcare system can be found in the Politics section.
