Central
State authorities are responsible for:
- Legislation, financing, strategic planning, and support of overall health standards;
- Healthcare and health insurance system (Croatian Health Insurance Institute)
- Protection of the population from infectious and non-infectious diseases, ionising and non-ionising radiation;
- Construction and investments in healthcare;
- Setting up of healthcare institutions;
- Regulation of standards;
- Sanitary inspection;
- Managing and coordinating clinics (tertiary health care) and National Health Institutes;
- Exclusive right to establish, manage, and fund institutions for the highest level health service: clinics, clinic centres.
Regional
Regional authorities are responsible for:
- Ownership and management of primary healthcare, ambulance services, general and special hospitals;
- Structure and equipment maintenance of the health institutions owned by the municipalities and the City of Zagreb;
- Institutes for public health;
- Primary health protection (Health homes);
- Coronation hospitals and care centres;
- Health councils;
- Coordination of healthcare institutions;
- Concessions for services of primary healthcare;
- Concessions for pharmacy services;
- Planning of health protection;
- Planning and financing of health promotion and preventive activities;
- Organisation of public procurement for institutions founded by counties;
- Distribution of finances for epidemiological protection, food, water, soil, and noise inspection;
- Distribution of finances for maintenance of health institutions founded by the Counties.
Local
As a result of decentralisation of Health Care service:
- Ownership of local hospitals and health care centres;
- Enable to plan and manage health care at local level;
- Took over the ownership and management control over the health providers;
- Establishing special hospitals (discretionary; towns only);
- Financing of investments and current maintenance of special hospitals founded by towns;
- Participation in the counties' Health councils;
- Contracting more services and higher standards, especially during tourist season (discretionary).
Responsible ministries/bodies
Central
Regional
Local
- Local authorities - municipalities and cities (općine i gradovi)
- Administrative department for health (or similarly named)
Sources:
Ministry of Health
Croatian Health Insurance Fund
Džakula A., Šogorić S., Šklebar I. Decentralisation of Health Care in Croatia - Teaching Model and Challenges?, Department of Social Medicine and Organisation of Health Care, School of Medicine, Zagreb, 2007. Government portal, Government/About Croatian Government/Ministries/ Ministry of Health and social care
Law on health protection (NN 100/18).
Law on Local and Regional Self-Government (NN 33/01, 60/01, 129/05, 109/07, 125/08, 36/09, 36/09, 150/11, 144/12, 19/13, 137/15).
