The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) recorded a loss of revenue from contributions of about HRK 1.5 billion, along with HRK 2 billion in expenditure on vaccination, sick leave and COVID-19 testing and treatment, HZZO director Lucian Vukelic said on Thursday.

The total expenditure includes HRK 420 million earmarked for vaccines and about HRK 82 million for medicines treating the symptoms of COVID-19, with expenses rising by HRK 50 million weekly, Vukelic told a panel on the financial sustainability of the healthcare system after COVID-19, organised by the association of employers in the healthcare sector (UPUZ).

Health Ministry official Gordan Zanic said that the present healthcare system was untenable and that one of the solutions was to increase contributions for health services.

UPUZ director Drazen Jurkovic said that the healthcare system was successfully coping with the coronavirus pandemic, but that a new model of debt settlement with drug wholesalers needed to be sought. He proposed paying the entire amount of HRK 4.2 billion out of the state budget through the HZZO, as well as increasing the amount of the supplementary health insurance contribution and imposing a tax on risk behaviour.

In Croatia, the healthcare outlays per capita is €800, while in the EU it is €3,000