The Croatian Chamber of Physicians said on Monday it supported mandatory Covid certificates in the health sector as a measure that would contribute to patients' safety, adding that protests against them in or near hospitals disrupted the peace patients need for their treatment.

The chamber said patients’ health and safety should come first to all health workers, adding that 95% of physicians had either been vaccinated against coronavirus or recovered from Covid.

The chamber said it was confident the few doctors and minority of other health workers who had not would be tested every week, adding that regular testing was part of the measures introduced in line with the law protecting the population from infectious diseases and rules preventing hospital infections.

There is no acceptable justification to refuse testing because that directly harms the safety of patients, the chamber said.

Chamber of Nurses distances itself from protesting members

The Croatian Chamber of Nurses too said it supported the decision on mandatory Covid certificates in the health sector, distancing itself from a dozen of its members who protested outside several hospitals this morning against mandatory certificates and testing.

Several dozen nurses are protesting outside hospitals against measures preventing Covid-19 instead of honouring medical rules, getting tested and working with patients, the chamber said, adding that 72% of nurses have been vaccinated, plus those that have recovered from Covid.

The chamber said it was unacceptable of individuals outside the health sector to attempt to use the situation and manipulate workers in the sector, and once again called on the nurses who have not been vaccinated yet to do so as soon as possible.

About 50 protesters booed Health Minister Vili Beros outside the KBC Zagreb hospital this morning.

Outside the KBC Split hospital, a group of disgruntled citizens and several hospital staff insulted the hospital director and grabbed some physicians by the arm.