Croatia - Republika Hrvatska

General Practice in Croatia

Croatia is Meditarrenian country with about 4.5 million inhabitants. Croatia is a parliamentary democracy.

Life expectancy at birth is 75.4 years: 71.9 for men and 78.9 for women.

Doctors make a total of about 15.500 with 2400 GP's. Croatian GPs deliver 23 million contacts to the population per year. The primary health care system in Croatia has the general practitioner as its central figure and gate keeper but is in continous process of transformation. The insured patient chooses a doctor. GP's are contracted on capitation fee. They sign a one-year contract with a public health insurance unit and gets capitation fee monthly. There is a referral system to secondary care. This health worker mostly is established in independent private practice since 1997. He operates exclusively outside the hospitals. General practitioners are primarily financed through The Croatian Health Insurance, which is practicaly govermental body. and Chroatian Chamber has agreements covering almost all issues regarding helth needs of population but influence from all of our Association (as GP or Chamber) has just advisably role. Membership in the health insurance is compulsory to the population and is paid progressively through taxes.

Postgraduate training in FM lasts 3 years, half of that is in hospitals and half is in a family practice. An exam is taken after 3 years and consists of three parts : OSCE, MCQ test about 180 questions and exam with three case reports and portfolio..

VT on family medicine starts In Croatia in 1960. (first in the Europe) but due to war we have lack of it from 1991. to 2003. when it was reestablish with first generation of trainees , 158 of them in total.

Statistics

National Exchange Coordinator for Croatia

Dr Jasna Vucak (jasna.vuchak@zd.t-com.hr)