Gradual reactivation of whole Croatian healthcare system starts on Monday

ZAGREB, May 3 (Hina) – Croatia’s public health care system will on Monday resume performing elective surgeries and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which were postponed after COVID-19 patients were given priority since the outbreak of the disease in late February.

Bringing the healthcare system back to normal will be conducted in line with the epidemiological measures. Therefore, the length of stay in hospitals will be shortened as much as possible.

Health Minister Vili Beros has recently announced that the waiting lists in hospitals will be updated. Patients in urgent need of care will be first to be treated.

Outpatient departments and outpatient clinics will be reinforced so as to reduce overnight care.

The hospitals are supposed to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends, if necessary.

Patients are requested to come at the time when they have appointments so as to avoid congestion in hospitals’ waiting-rooms.

For instance, the biggest hospital centre in Croatia — the Zagreb University Hospital Centre — has increased the number of triage containers to enable the compliance with the social distancing in waiting rooms inside the hospital building.

Assistant director of the Zagreb University Hospital Centre, Milivoj Novak, told Hina that the 22 March quake caused damage to the institution and in the new circumstances, the hospital has 403 fewer beds than before the disaster.

The Split University Hospital Centre at Firule will open for business as usual as of Monday, however, some of its capacities are still occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Hospitals in other cities are also restarting elective surgeries and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, adapting their usual business to the new circumstances.