The coronavirus epidemic has been weighing on the healthcare budget, with the cost for the HZZO health insurance institute in 2020 expected to amount to one billion kuna, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Monday.

Over a period of only one week, the costs of the health system related to the coronavirus epidemic have risen by a staggering HRK 80.5 million (€10.73 million), and they are expected to be even higher on a weekly basis in the coming period and exceed one billion kuna by the end of the year, the daily says.

According to HZZO data, the total costs related to COVID-19, which cover the costs of testing, treatment and sick-leave allowances, amounted to HRK 258.2 million in the period from February 25 to September 2.

In the last three months, the costs have tripled and on December 4, they totalled HRK 766.3 million.

Considering the epidemiological situation, the growth of costs is as expected, yet their growth rate, as indicated by a weekly analysis, is higher than the one predicted by experts.

In the week between November 20 and 27, COVID-19-related costs grew by around HRK 50 million, and already in the following week they totalled more than HRK 80 million.

In the first six months of the epidemic, the costs for the HZZO totalled HRK 258.2 million, the daily says.

The newspaper collected the latest data over the past three weeks considering that they are updated every Friday, and according to the latest indicators, in the period between the start of September and December 4, the costs grew by as much as HRK 508.1 million.

Both in the first and the second wave of the epidemic, the cost of testing accounted for the largest portion of the total costs, Jutarnji List said.

(€1 = HRK 7.54)