Croatian speech therapists warn of service shortages

The Croatian Association of Speech Therapists Entrepreneurs (HALP) has warned that over 7,000 users, primarily children, could lose access to speech therapy due to new legislation. The new Law on Speech Therapy introduces minimum technical requirements for premises that many private practices may be unable to meet.

According to HALP, more than 40 percent of surveyed private speech therapy providers stated they cannot satisfy these new conditions and may be forced to cease operations by July 2027. Professionals argue that construction standards, such as ceiling height, door width, and waiting room size, do not impact the clinical quality of therapy, which is determined by expertise.

To combat these changes, the association has launched a petition and submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Court to assess the law's compliance with the Constitution. HALP warns that the public healthcare system is currently unable to absorb the influx of patients that would result from the closure of private practices.