"The goals of the upcoming health care reform are strengthening the public health care system, improving preventive health care, reorganizing the hospital system, investing in human resources and, above all, making the system sustainable and placing the patient in the focus," Health Minister, Vili Beros, told MPs on Wednesday.

Beros appeared in Parliament to talk about a new set of healthcare bills, which he described as “essential for reforming Croatia’s health care system.”

The overhaul includes a wide range of new rules and regulations, including the government taking direct control of hospitals, rather than leaving local government in charge of running them. The goal is to centralize hospital supply tenders and improve cost management, as most hospitals are currently struggling with funding and regularly end every year in the red.

Patients will be now given the option to evaluate health care services. Specialist services like speech therapy, psychological support, or physical therapy will be included in the primary level of health care in communities.

Mobile pharmacies will also be introduced, and new regulations will overhaul rules on the work of doctors in the private and public health care systems.

Beros said that Croatia was obliged to introduce these bills under its EU-funded National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which earmarked 2.56 billion kuna (€340 million) for the overhaul of the health care system.

The reform also includes doubling the ceiling for out-of-pocket fees in the public health care system, from 2,000 kuna (€265) to 4,000 kuna (€530), which Beros said would “contribute to the sustainability of the health care system.”

(€1 = 7.55 kuna)