Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Sunday it was unacceptable that all doctors and nurses at the Gynaecology Department of the Sveti Duh Hospital were conscientious objectors and that he expected the hospital's new management to deal with this.

“It is unacceptable to me that absolutely all the doctors and nurses in Gynaecology have a conscientious objection and I expect this to be dealt with,” Tomašević told reporters ahead of a ceremony marking the Day of Victory over Fascism and the Day of Liberation of Zagreb.

Asked if he agreed with the claim that in the circumstances of collective conscientious objection pregnancy terminations were carried out in private institutions, the mayor said that this problem could be dealt with in different ways.

“But I also want that all legally permitted pregnancy terminations can be performed in Zagreb’s largest city-owned healthcare institution and that is Sveti Duh,” Tomasevic said.