April the 12th, 2026 – The UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia has launched free radiation therapy for veterans of the Homeland War from Krapina-Zagorje County.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, In agreement with Krapina-Zagorje County, the Zabok General Hospital, the Croatian Veterans Hospital, and Croatian veterans’ associations, the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia is launching a programme to provide free radiation therapy.
a highly respected cancer centre
The aforementioned therapies are intended for all oncology patients who are Croatian veterans who served during the Homeland War and come from Krapina-Zagorje County. This highly commendable programme will be actively implemented over the next three months, and if necessary, at additional intervals throughout the rest of the year ahead.
“The UPMC in Croatia has recognised the needs of the local community, and we do everything we can within our scope to provide oncology patients with access to the highest level of treatment. With this programme, we want to contribute to greater availability of radiation therapy for Croatian veterans who are undergoing treatment for cancer. We’re working very closely with Croatian veterans’ associations to encourage their members who need this form of treatment to please contact us,” stated Davor Babić, director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia in Zabok.
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia is otherwise part of UPMC, a non-profit hospital network that is part of one of the largest and most reputable healthcare systems in the United States, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The value of this programme has been recognised from the very beginning by the Zabok General Hospital, the Croatian Veterans Hospital and Krapina-Zagorje County, and it represents the first such project aimed at Croatian veterans from that county.
reducing pressure on the public healthcare system
“Numerous Croatian veterans gave their lives for Croatia’s freedom, with many others having sacrificed their health. Croatian veterans’ associations are here to help them when it is most needed. We sincerely welcome this programme implemented by UPMC in Croatia and would like to thank everyone who contributed to its implementation. I believe that this will enable faster and more efficient treatment for veterans who are oncology patients, while also easing the pressure on the entire healthcare system,” emphasised Josip Horvatin, President of the Krapina-Zagorje County Veterans’ Association.
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia will be in continuous communication with the aforementioned partners to enable information to be provided to the patients for whom the programme is intended. “There is a clear need for this type of treatment and I believe that this programme will provide oncology patients from the Croatian veterans’ community with a very high level of care when they need it most. Our hospital is ready to contribute to this programme in the interest of patients and we believe that this is also an indicator of the quality of cooperation between our healthcare institutions, as has been the case since UPMC’s arrival in Zabok and Croatia,” stated Professor Rajko Fureš, MD, Deputy Director of the Zabok General Hospital and the Croatian Veterans’ Hospital.
a 20 million usd investment in zabok
This centre opened its doors in Zabok back in March 2025 thanks to UPMC’s 20 million US dollar investment, which reflects confidence in the Croatian healthcare system and supports the National Strategic Framework for the Fight against Cancer until 2030.
“Just a few months ago, we marked the beginning of UPMC’s service provision in Zabok to patients through a referral from the Croatian Health Insurance Institute (HZZO), and today we’re seeing just how important this project and the investment of this healthcare institution in the county are for the entire local community. I believe that this programme aimed at Croatian veterans who are oncology patients is one of a series of projects that will provide the local community with better quality and more accessible treatment and the highest level of healthcare, and for that I’d like to sincerely thank the leadership of UPMC for this initiative,” concluded Željko Kolar, Prefect of Krapina-Zagorje County.
the most advanced tech for cancer detection, staging, treatment and monitoring
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia in Zabok is equipped with the most advanced Varian TrueBeam system for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). This enables the extremely precise treatment of hard-to-reach tumours, all while ensuring the maximum protection of healthy tissues. Thanks to this incredible piece of technology, in many cases, long-term treatment protocols have now been replaced with just a few or even a single treatment fraction, with high efficiency and safety.
In addition to advanced therapeutic capabilities, this centre also has key diagnostic tools such as PET/CT imaging, which enable precise disease assessment, staging, treatment planning and monitoring of therapy outcomes. As part of a global network of almost 80 centres, the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre Croatia brings modern oncology care to Krapina-Zagorje County and the region where it was previously unavailable and provides a wide range of services, including radiation, internal oncology and PET-CT diagnostics.
