Croatia healthcare access and service demand

Croatia is experiencing developments in both healthcare accessibility and service demand. In July 2026, new cooperation agreements were established to expand care access. These included a public-private partnership between the Craftsmanship Chamber of Primorsko-Goranska County and MEDICO hospital to provide discounted services and health-check packages for approximately 12,500 tradespeople. Additionally, a cross-border emergency-medicine pact was signed between the Croatian Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Health of Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing patients from the Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia regions to receive 24-hour treatment at the University Clinical Hospital in Mostar.

By August 2026, data from the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) indicated a significant increase in the workload for primary healthcare providers. During the first three months of the year, primary care visits rose by nearly one million compared to the previous year, totaling 16.33 million visits. This surge was noted across family medicine, dentistry, and gynecology, with preventive programs for children and youth seeing a 20 percent increase. Medical professionals reported heightened pressure due to both patient volume and an influx of digital communications.