Overview
Croatia has a universal health care system. The population is covered by a basic health insurance plan provided by statute and optional insurance administered by the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance. Every Croatian citizen is obliged to report to the mandatory health insurance. Mandatory health insurance is paid from a certain percentage of an employee’s salary. Children under 18, unemployed and students have the right for free health insurance.
Mandatory health insurance is provided to all insured persons under the same conditions. People with more medical requirements can, at a cost of 70 HRK per month (about 10 EUR), pay for additional health insurance that gives them more benefits. Additional health insurance is recommended especially for older and chronically ill persons.
What happens if you need to see a doctor?
If you need to see a doctor, you visit your general practitioner (GP). The GP will decide which specialist you might need to go to, or which medicine to prescribe. The GP can also perform minor surgical procedures. If you do not have additional health insurance then you have to pay 10 HRK (about 1.3 EUR) for visiting your general practitioner. If you need to visit a specialist then you have to pay a little bit more money which is provided by Croatian Health Insurance Fund. For people with diabetes it is recommended every three months to see your diabetologist and measure HbA1c with yearly exams of eyes, analysis of blood and urine.
Who decides what doctor can prescribe?
Croatian Health Insurance Fund, which consists of medical experts, patients, the Ministry of Health and advisory commission, decide about supplies and how much every patient needs. Based on that, the general practitioner can prescribe which and how many supplies you can get.
Practically, what is it like to live with type 1 diabetes in Croatia?
Test strips (1500 strips per year for adults, 2000 strips year for kids), ketone strips, pumps (with approval of the diabetologist), syringes, medication, insulin, therapy and treatment are all free. If you want a CGM you will have to pay for it yourself. We have only one insulin pump and CGM provider- Medtronic. People are limited to about 4 strips per day and there are also a limited amount of technology representatives. We are working on new suppliers for technology.
What about getting admitted to hospital?
In any kind of emergency, everything is taken care of immediately. You should dial 112 in an emergency and within 5-15min an ambulance will get to your location no matter where you are. We even have an emergency team if you are hiking or at sea. In non-emergency cases you go to your general practitioner. If the GP cannot help you are redirected to other facilities. Most of the cases are taken care of within a day, but if something needs specific examinations (MRI, CT, ultrasound, etc.) the wait time can be prolonged. Most of the operations and hospital stays are free of charge.
How does diabetes care vary throughout Croatia?
The law requires that care must be the same throughout Croatia. The only difference is the amount of doctors there are in rural or big areas and their variance in knowledge. Some hospitals have many diabetologists and some do not even have one. Education differs from hospital to hospital. Diabetes member associations are trying to make standardized diabetes education across Croatia.
A big thank you to our friend David Klapan in Croatia for supplying this information for our map. More about life with diabetes in Croatia can be read at diabetes.hr (opens in a new tab) and zadi.hr (opens in a new tab).
Last updated 2016