Croatia — Healthcare: Public Healthcare

Why this matters

A relocating person should care about public healthcare in Croatia to ensure they have access to medical services.

Key facts

• Current health expenditure: 7.1 % of GDP (2023)
• Government share of current health expenditure: 84 % (2023)
• Out-of-pocket share of current health expenditure: 9 % (2023)
• Physicians: 3.9 per 1,000 people (2022)
• Hospital beds: 5.6 per 1,000 people (2023)
• Life expectancy at birth: 78.9 years (2024)

Steps

1. Registering with the Healthcare System — After arriving in Croatia, a person must register with the local healthcare system, which typically involves registering with the local health insurance fund and obtaining a health insurance card.
2. Accessing Public Healthcare Services — To access public healthcare services, a person typically needs to present their health insurance card and a personal identification document.

Costs

• Health Insurance Premiums: varies by employer and income level
• Out-of-pocket Costs for Medications and Procedures: varies, but reportedly around €10-50 for prescriptions and €50-200 for some procedures

Timelines

• Registration with the Healthcare System: typically 1-2 weeks, but may take longer in some cases

Required documents

• Health insurance card
• Personal identification document (passport, ID card, etc.)

Common mistakes

• Thinking that private healthcare institutions are the primary providers of healthcare services in Croatia.

What these figures do not cover

These are national statistics. Who is eligible for the public system, how a foreign resident enrols, what it costs and waiting times are not covered here.