Agreement to save Immunology Institute signed

N1

The government accepted the proposal for the strategic partnership model with the City of Zagreb to take ownership of the Immunology Institute (IMZ), the indebted state-owned institute which specialises in making vaccines and blood products used in health care.

The model will put in motion production in, and sustainability of, the IMZ, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.

The institute, which the government unsuccessfully tried to privatise three years ago, needed at the time at least 100 million kuna (€24.4 million) investment to buy new equipment to successfully continue to produce and sell its vaccines and blood products.

The partnership with the City of Zagreb with equal ownership of shares will enable the restarting of production with the goal of ensuring IMZ’s survival and continuing the services strategically important to Croatia and the health of its people, said Zeljko Plazonic, a senior Health Ministry official.

The Ministry of State Property, the Health Ministry, Economy Ministry and the Finance Ministry have 30 days to prepare and present documentation on the strategic partnership.

The Health Ministry was also given a 30-day deadline to present the national plan for the supply of blood products.

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