The Zagreb Diabetes Association (ZDD) stated on Monday that the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) does not handle the listing of free medicines transparently, which is why diabetes patients may have to pay for medicines that are essential for their disease.

The ZDD is calling for a more transparent compilation of the subsidy programmes for prescription drugs.

The Association also complains that the HZZO has not involved endocrinologists, diabetologists and other experts as well as patients in the process.

It cites situations in which some of the drugs were charged for, only to be included in the list of free drugs.

This prompted the Zagreb Association to criticise the HZZO commissions as incompetent.

More than 400,000 people in Croatia suffer from diabetes and an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 are unaware that they have the disease