Beroš: One step closer to starting preventive examinations throughout Croatia

“We are one step closer to starting preventive health examinations at the level of the whole of Croatia,” said Minister of Health Vili Beroš on Tuesday at the presentation of the pilot project in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and added that the first results from other counties indicate the justification of this project.

The pilot project started in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, after Osijek-Baranja, Sisak-Moslavina, Međimurje and Split-Dalmatia counties.

“The results of the pilot project in four counties show that in two thirds of those examined, increased lipids, blood sugar or pressure were observed, which require further treatment. People over the age of 40 are invited to check-ups, because then unrecognized chronic diseases begin to develop,” said Minister Vili Beroš.

Preventive examinations are part of the reform of the health system, and the reform measures aim to relieve family doctors of additional administrative burdens and introduce a new payment model.

The goal is better treatment outcomes

“All this confirms that we are on the right track towards improving the health of our citizens and, ultimately, better treatment results, which is one of the goals of our comprehensive reform of the healthcare system with the patient in focus,” said Beroš.

So far, the results of the implementation of preventive programs show that among all those examined, 64 percent of persons were appropriately suspected and referred for further treatment, and risk factors for the development of chronic diseases such as increased body weight or obesity, deviation of the lipid profile, and elevated blood pressure were identified in even 77 persons examined.

More than 50 percent are smokers, which is a significant share considering the Croatian average of 25 percent. As for other diseases, people are referred to the National Lung Cancer Screening and Early Detection Program and the National Colon Cancer Detection Program, and any malignant disease will be detected in time.

The minister also mentioned the oncology referral project implemented by the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center, stressing that in the two-month implementation period, the average waiting time was 3.86 days.

The representative of Croatian Institute of Public Health and head of the Working Group, Tomislav Benjak, said that in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, 29 doctors from the County Health Center have already given appointments for examinations, with the aim of involving both doctors and citizens and testing implementation models.

Komadina: Expenses for special hospitals burden the county budget

County Mayor Zlatko Komadina said that, as far as the County and preventive inspections are concerned, the ministry is knocking on an open door and that cooperation of the institutions is successful. He mentioned the county's special hospitals, which the county will continue to be the founder of, and the increasingly difficult coverage of healthcare expenditures, which is increasingly burdening the county's budget.

The Chairman of the Health Committee of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Assembly, Leonardo Bressan, said that prevention is a daily part of the work of family doctors and emphasized that a definitive administrative relief is a prerequisite for full dedication to health care, while appealing to Prime Minister Plenković to support the efforts of Minister Beroš in this regard.

The Director of Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center, Alen Ružić, said that part of the new hospital on Sušak will be ready for relocation by the end of the year, and that financing will need to be secured for the next phase of construction.

Source: HRT