CAVTAT, Sept 2 (Hina) - The health reform cannot succeed if the economic and legal systems are not reformed at the same time and if the state is not fulfilling its financial obligations, Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister Goran
Granic said on Saturday, opening an international forum on possibilities of investment in the health system and tourism, which is being held within a conference on health insurance in countries in transition in Cavtat, southern Croatia. Granic said the forum offered the opportunity for Croatia to present itself to possible investors, which could be an introduction into negotiations and concrete contracts. Apart from Croatian experts and representatives of the authority, the forum will be addressed by representatives of the Council of Europe and the European Investment Bank as well as by other financial experts, who will speak about world market trends and requirements for inves
CAVTAT, Sept 2 (Hina) - The health reform cannot succeed if the
economic and legal systems are not reformed at the same time and if
the state is not fulfilling its financial obligations, Croatia's
First Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic said on Saturday, opening
an international forum on possibilities of investment in the health
system and tourism, which is being held within a conference on
health insurance in countries in transition in Cavtat, southern
Croatia.
Granic said the forum offered the opportunity for Croatia to
present itself to possible investors, which could be an
introduction into negotiations and concrete contracts.
Apart from Croatian experts and representatives of the authority,
the forum will be addressed by representatives of the Council of
Europe and the European Investment Bank as well as by other
financial experts, who will speak about world market trends and
requirements for investments in the health system and tourism.
Speaking about economic relations and political changes in
Croatia, Granic said partial reforms would not succeed. The tourist
season, he said, was some 30 percent better than the previous ones
because of the political changes in the country and not because of
investments into tourist promotion, in which zero funds were
invested this year, he said.
Croatia, he said, can be interesting for investment only if it is
stable and if problems such as bribery and corruption as well as
those in the functioning of the law-based state are resolved.
As regards the health reform, money for its implementation will be
secured from the budget, Granic said.
On the second day of the conference on health insurance in countries
in transition, Health Minister Ana Stavljenic Rukavina spoke about
a project aimed at the reform of the Croatian health system. Croatia
currently spends nine percent of its Gross Domestic Product for the
health system. The aim of the reform is decentralising the current
centralised system, and make health care available and equal for
all. The programme of reform includes 14 projects which will be
implemented in the next two to three years. A test project, the
implementation of which will start this month in Koprivnica-
Krizevci County, and which includes changes in the organisation and
technology of operation of local health institutions, will be an
introduction in the reform, she said.
The president of the Management Board of the Croatian Health
Insurance Institute, Ivan Drpic, was very critical of the
Institute's current operation, estimating the Institute was only
pretending to be the insurer and was actually a parastatal fund for
the political management of tax-payers' money. The Institute does
not protect the interests of its insurees and the money it manages
is being used increasingly inefficiently, Drpic said.
The conference, which is attended by some 400 experts from 40
countries, also discussed the best known models of health insurance
in the world (the British, American and the German) and their
advantages and drawbacks.
Also presented at the event were new Internet pages of the Health
Ministry.
(hina) rml