Croatia faces shortage of family doctors as retirees depart

Croatia is experiencing a significant shortage of family medicine physicians, with a deficit of 288 doctors currently reported. The situation is expected to worsen as nearly 900 family doctors are set to retire within the next five years.

In smaller communities and on islands, the healthcare system is increasingly reliant on physicians from neighboring countries. On the island of Iž, retired family medicine specialist and general surgeon Luka Pirnat recently relocated from Sarajevo to fill a vacancy after seeing a social media post about the island's lack of medical staff. Similarly, Driton Zeneli, originally from North Macedonia, has been practicing family medicine on the island of Cres for over two years.

Local officials emphasize that doctors are vital for island populations, which consist largely of retirees who rely on medical professionals for security and essential care.