ZAGREB, July 14 (Hina) - A health reform is necessary, this was a conclusion from Friday's session of the Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives. While representatives of the ruling six praised the strategy of a health
system reform, representatives of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) assessed the strategy as insufficiently elaborated and declarative. We do not oppose the health reform, but we believe it needs to be elaborated, said Ivica Kostovic on behalf of the HDZ parliamentary bench. He wondered how would poorer citizens afford health services which were not included in the basic package. He also criticised the fact that the use of medicine issued on a proscription would be decreased. In his opinion, the strategy includes many data which show a false situation in Croatia's health. Given that the reform is based on a false assessment of the situation, the HDZ cannot support it, Kostovic c
ZAGREB, July 14 (Hina) - A health reform is necessary, this was a
conclusion from Friday's session of the Croatian National Sabor's
House of Representatives.
While representatives of the ruling six praised the strategy of a
health system reform, representatives of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) assessed the strategy as insufficiently elaborated and
declarative.
We do not oppose the health reform, but we believe it needs to be
elaborated, said Ivica Kostovic on behalf of the HDZ parliamentary
bench. He wondered how would poorer citizens afford health services
which were not included in the basic package. He also criticised the
fact that the use of medicine issued on a proscription would be
decreased.
In his opinion, the strategy includes many data which show a false
situation in Croatia's health. Given that the reform is based on a
false assessment of the situation, the HDZ cannot support it,
Kostovic concluded.
Snjezana Biga-Friganovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)
reacted to that and said over the past ten years, the HDZ wished to
demonstrate the situation in Croatia's health as another Croatian
miracle, and it continued to state data which pointed to the
improvement of the situation in the health sector, while only
US$310 were earmarked from the budget per person annually. She
added that the SDP parliamentary bench was supporting the reform in
its entirety.
According to Andro Vlahusic of the Croatian Social Liberal Party
(HSLS), 4.2 million citizens have health coverage, while only 1.3
employed persons are paying contributions. This is financially
impossible, he said and motioned that fees be paid by those
pensioners whose pensions are greater than wages of employed
persons.
At the end of this morning's session, representatives of the HDZ
left the Sabor in protest, after a draft decision of the mandatory
immunity commission, in line with which HDZ representative Darijo
Vukic is to be stripped of his parliamentary immunity, was included
in the agenda.
In a previous discussion, on behalf of the HDZ, Vladimir Seks
opposed that the item be included in the agenda because in his
opinion reasons for the stripping of Vukic have not been elaborated
in details.
The request for stripping Vukic of his parliamentary immunity was
forwarded to the Sabor by the State Prosecutor's Office in the
northern Adriatic city of Rijeka in order to initiate a criminal
procedure against Vukic, because he failed to start a bankruptcy
proceedings in Croatia Line.
Darijo Vukic is a former president of the management of Croatia's
greatest maritime carrier which went bankrupt, Croatia Line.
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