Croatia

Choose a doctor or a dentist who has a contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). Present your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at the appointment. In Croatia, a referral is usually required to see a specialist. Treatment provided by a general practitioner is free of charge, and emergency dental care is also free. However, a standard client fee is always charged for the visit.

You can obtain medication prescribed by a primary care doctor from a pharmacy (ljekarna) that has a contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). A prescription is valid for 15 days from the date it was issued. An exception to this is a prescription for antibiotics, which is valid for only three days from the date of issue. All pharmacies that dispense prescription medicines have a contract with HZZO. The highest number of pharmacies is found in localities that have a health centre. Pharmacy opening hours may vary.

You can also buy medicines in Croatia with an electronic prescription issued by a doctor in Finland. You can obtain the medication by showing your passport or official identity card at the pharmacy. However, please note that not all medicines can be purchased abroad with an electronic prescription. Check the applicable restrictions on the Kanta.fi website. You can apply for reimbursement from Kela afterwards.

There are hospitals and specialised medical facilities in all larger towns, and smaller clinics are located throughout the country. A referral from a general practitioner is required for hospital treatment. The cost of care is covered by health insurance if the hospital has a contract with HZZO. At the hospital, present your European Health Insurance Card. Ambulance transport in emergencies is free of charge.

If your medical condition requires special transport when returning to Finland, you must cover the full cost yourself. It is recommended to take out travel insurance that covers such expenses.

Remember to ensure that your patient data is transferred between countries. You can provide those responsible for your follow-up care or your healthcare provider with the patient records related to the treatment you received abroad. If the patient records need to be translated, you will be responsible for arranging the translation yourself.

In the event of treatment injuries, the legislation and patient insurance of the country providing the treatment is always applied. In case you are unhappy with the treatment you received, you should primarily try to sort the matter out with the treatment provider. If you want to file a complaint, the National Contact Point of Croatia can help you find the right authority.

In Croatia, the Ministry of Health (Ministarstvo zdravstva) is responsible for monitoring the quality of health services and for issuing licences. The Ministry regularly publishes information on the quality of care. However, hospital-specific quality data is not available. The criteria for the quality and safety of treatment provided by hospitals and other healthcare providers are currently being defined. If necessary, you can request further information from the Contact Point of Croatia or directly from the Ministry of Health at pitajtenas(at)miz.hr.

Croatia has a social health insurance system in which citizens are expected to contribute according to their ability to pay and receive basic health care services according to their needs. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje, HZZO) is the sole insurer in the mandatory health insurance system, providing universal health coverage to the entire population. As the main purchaser of health services, HZZO plays a key role in defining and pricing the basic healthservices covered by statutory insurance and in setting performance standards.

The Croatian healthcare system includes both public and private healthcare services. Public healthcare is organized on the basis of countries at all levels and in all activities (primary and secondary healthcare). Only the tertiary level (clinical institutions) is organized regionally.

Persons insured in Croatia ere entlitled, among other things, to primary healthcare, specialist and hospital care, medicines included in the official HZZO list, dental prosthetics and replacements, orthopedic and other medical devices, as well as healthcare abroad.