[REVISION HISTORY]

Croatian healthcare scrutiny and death of Vedrana Rudan

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2026-08-19 19:46 UTC → 2026-08-21 08:26 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, Croatian author Vedrana Rudan used a personal column to spotlight harsh working conditions for nurses in a public oncology department, describing 24‑hour rotating shifts and low salaries. Her piece framed the situation as a systemic failure. A few days later, Rudan’s own battle with cholangiocarcinoma highlighted another systemic problem: the refusal of the national health insurer to fund a critical diagnostic PET/CT scan required for her radiotherapy plan. The court ruled against her, underscoring a gap between contracted treatment services and the unpaid diagnostics needed to deliver them. In August 2026, Vedrana Rudan passed away at the age of 77 following her battle with aggressive bile duct cancer. Her death was announced via social media with the symbolic message, ‘Vedrana has gone to the area without signal,’ a phrase she had previously used to describe her own passing. In her final months, she remained communicative through her blog, discussing her illness, mortality, and the healthcare system. Rudan was a prominent journalist and activist known for her provocative writing on politics, feminism, and social norms. Her literary career included sixteen books, such as ‘Uho, grlo, nož,’ which gained regional success. Her passing drew tributes from regional figures, including writer Miljenko Jergović, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who noted her courage to speak without fear, and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, who remarked that she was a writer whom ‘no one could read with indifference.’ Singer Severina also shared a tribute, recalling Rudan’s resilience and directness during her illness. ~~In accordance with her final wishes,~~ Following her ~~family has kept the time and location~~ death, social media controversy emerged when Iva Alilović, wife of handball player Mirko Alilović, declined to offer condolences. Alilović criticized Rudan, describing her ~~funeral private, limiting~~ as a ‘deeply unhappy woman who acted out a role on the ~~service to~~ outside’ and labeling her ~~closest relatives.~~ a ‘fool.’

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