Croatia will mark World Health Day, observed on 7 April, with a series of events and activities in the next seven days, according to a press release issued by the health ministry on Sunday.

The date of 7 April marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes are the leading causes of death in Croatia, according to the data of collected by the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), while the ageing population needs more and more healthcare services.

Hypertension, lung diseases and diabetes as the prevalent diseases among senior citizens, according to findings of research conducted within the Morbidity Statistics project of the European Union’s statistical office Eurostat in several EU member-states.

Between 2019 and 2021, nine Member States conducted national pilot studies focused on diagnosis-specific morbidity statistics, testing the feasibility of such data collection within the European Statistical System (ESS).

The findings show that cancer incidence rates are rising, and that 1 in 10 Croatians aged above 65 suffer from chronic respiratory diseases, according to the “Morbidity Statistics”.

25% of Croatians above 65 suffer from diabetes

Furthermore, one in ten Croatians suffer from diabetes, and when it comes to those aged above 65, even one quarter of them suffer from this condition.

In 2022, life expectancy at birth in the EU was estimated at 77.7 years for both genders, reaching 80.8 years for women and 74.6 years for men, according to the Eurostat.

The data were on Sunday presented in the media to mark World Health Day.

It is celebrated annually and each year draws attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.

The theme for World Health Day 2024 is ‘My health, my right’, chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination, according to the information on the WHO website.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said in a report that Croatian senior citizens lag behind in exercising their right to health services in comparison to other European Union countries.