Healthcare systemic challenges in Croatia and Montenegro

In Croatia, the Ministry of Health has introduced a voluntary program to incentivize young, non-specialized doctors to work in primary healthcare sectors, such as family and emergency medicine. This initiative offers professional development and a points-based system to assist participants in future specialization applications.

Recent developments show the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) has approved funding for 281 non-specialized medical doctors to work under supervision to bolster the workforce. The HZZO also expanded drug accessibility, adding tirzepatid to the supplementary list and placing dapagliflozin on the basic list for type 2 diabetes patients. Additionally, a new radionuclide treatment model for metastatic prostate cancer has been introduced at KBC Zagreb.

Despite these measures, the Coordination of Croatian Family Medicine (KoHOM) warned of a critical financing gap. KoHOM reports that health centers struggle to fund family medicine specializations because they must simultaneously cover the costs of replacement doctors. This strain threatens a national plan to introduce 600 new specializations, particularly as a shortage of approximately 300 doctors leaves many patients without permanent family physicians.

In Montenegro, the Medical Chamber has defended pediatricians against pressure regarding low childhood vaccination rates, asserting that immunization improvements require systemic support rather than placing responsibility on individual doctors. Concurrently, Croatian healthcare employers have expressed concern that mandatory medical exams for child athletes could create financial burdens for parents if the public health system lacks sufficient capacity to provide these services.