Health Minister Vili Beros said on Saturday that a downward trend is being observed in the waiting lists for diagnostic tests and called for concerted action of all stakeholders in the fight for better health of citizens.

“Waiting lists have not appeared overnight and they cannot be solved overnight,” Beroš said adding that a downward trend in the duration of waiting lists for diagnostic tests and procedures for non-urgent patients has been seen since 31 December 2024.

The shortening of the lists is a result of a series of activities over several years and of meetings with directors of the healthcare institutions with officials of the Croatian Health Insurance Agency (HZZO), Beros added.

The European Commission’s representatives have also confirmed significant progress, which shows that we are closer and closer to meeting the benchmarks from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), he said.

The minister pledged the continuation of the efforts of the government, the health ministry, healthcare institutions and the HZZO to reduce waiting times.

The ministry says in a press release that currently, the average waiting time for MRI scans for non-urgent patients is 86 days, and the average waiting time for CT is 54 days.

Furthermore, the waiting time for ultrasound imaging of the breast for non-urgent patients is 132 days, abdomen ultrasound scanning 132 days etc.

The ministry says that the institutions have introduced more shifts in their work and also “a rule engine system” has contributed to the better and more efficient organisation of the work of hospitals.