Zagreb, May 13, 2014 –World Bank health experts working across Europe and Central Asia learned about Croatian health sector reforms and reforms in the region during their study tour in Croatia this week.
Ms. Vlatka Bilas, special advisor to H.E. Rajko Ostojić, Minister of Health, presented the draft National Plan for the Development of University Hospital Centers, University Hospitals, Clinics and General Hospitals 2014 – 2016. The group also visited the emergency department in the Karlovac General Hospital, the Institute of Emergency Medicine in the Karlovac County, and the Karlovac medical dispatch center to see firsthand the results of the emergency medicine reforms.
The reform of the emergency medical system in Croatia was co-financed through a World Bank-supported project. It resulted in improvements in the efficiency and outcomes of Croatia’s Emergency Medical Services and in strengthening the capacity of the country’s Ministry of Health to develop and implement medical directives of the European Union. In addition to providing new medical centers, new equipment, and new ambulances, the reform of the emergency health system established – for the very first time – Emergency Departments within Croatian hospitals across the country.
The World Bank is also supporting the forthcoming health sector reforms through the recently approved Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Services Program for Results. This new health sector Program aims to improve the access, quality, and efficiency of public health services by strengthening management capacity in health care, reorganizing the structure and activities of health care institutions, improving the quality of health care, strengthening preventative activities, and preserving the financial sustainability of the system.
The Program supports the Government of Croatia’s 2012-2020 National Health Care Strategy, which identifies the strategic problems and reform priorities for the health care sector, such as insufficient connectivity between primary, secondary, and tertiary health care; uneven quality of care; and uneven availability of health care across regions.
For more information about the World Bank's work in Croatia, visit: http://www.worldbank.hr
