Bulj demands hospital for 50,000 people from Plenković

The Mayor of Sinj, Miro Bulj, sent an open letter on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, strongly protesting the continuous reduction of healthcare services in Sinj and the Cetina region. In the letter titled "Stop the dismantling of healthcare in Sinj and secure a General Hospital," Bulj demands concrete answers and urgent government action, emphasizing that the issue affects more than 50,000 residents of the area.

More than two months without a response

In the letter, Bulj stressed that more than two months have passed since his last official correspondence, with no response from the Government or the Ministry of Health. "After numerous letters, warnings, and meetings, there is still no answer regarding the future of healthcare for more than 50,000 residents of this region," Bulj wrote, adding: "Is Sinj so unimportant to you that it doesn't even deserve a reply?"

The letter comes during Alkarska Week, as Sinj prepares for the Sinjska Alka and the feast of Our Lady of Sinj. Bulj highlights the irony that Sinj becomes the "center of Croatia" for the state leadership only when it comes to ceremonial events. "Sinj is big enough when it comes to filling the state budget, hosting the state leadership, and serving as a backdrop for photo ops at the Sinjska Alka. But when it comes to providing a hospital, doctors, and dignified healthcare for its residents, Sinj suddenly becomes too small," the mayor said.

Maternity ward closed, pediatrics on its last legs

In his address, Bulj listed the specific problems facing the residents of the Cetina region. He reminded that the maternity ward in Sinj has already been shut down, describing it as a blow to "the very heart of the Alka tradition, which requires that an Alka knight be born in Sinj." Additionally, he noted that the afternoon laboratory shift has been abolished, and pediatric care is under threat. "Pediatrics that stops functioning as soon as one doctor goes on annual leave or sick leave," he warned.

Due to the lack of local facilities, residents of Sinj, Vrlika, Hrvace, Otok, and Dicmo are forced to travel to Split, where they face the overburdened Clinical Hospital Center. "Our parents, sick children, pregnant women, and elderly people have to travel dozens of kilometers and wait for hours," Bulj wrote, drawing a parallel with the situation in Zagreb and its surroundings, where, as he claims, even smaller towns have their own general hospitals.

Accusations of 'healthcare centralism'

Bulj accused the Government of pursuing a policy of "healthcare centralism" and "deliberately creating a Croatia of the first and second class." "You have crammed all institutions, money, doctors, and investments into Zagreb and its surroundings, leaving the Croatian south with closed doors, long waiting lists, and trips to Split," the letter states. He also posed a rhetorical question: "Are the lives of our children, parents, and elderly worth less simply because we live south of Zagreb?"

In addition to the Prime Minister, he also called out the Split-Dalmatia County Prefect, Blaženko Boban, whom he accuses of working with the Government to shut down one healthcare service after another. "We are not asking for charity but for what the people of this region are entitled to," Bulj said, demanding a clear answer from Plenković on four key points: initiating the process to establish Sinj General Hospital, restoring the afternoon laboratory shift, ensuring continuous pediatric care, and halting further service closures.

The letter ends on a resolute note: "The people of Sinj will not kneel before the Government and beg for the basic right to medical treatment. The time of silence is over."

Plenković, meanwhile, on energy stability

While Bulj was sending the letter, Prime Minister Plenković, on the same day, August 4, 2026, posted a message on his Twitter profile on a completely different topic, the security of electricity supply. In a retweet of a Government of the Republic of Croatia post, Plenković stated that supply is guaranteed and that Croatia will have enough electricity. He also commented on the situation with nuclear power plants in the region, noting that low Danube water levels are affecting the Paks NPP in Hungary, while there is no threat to the Krško NPP. "Today I will have more detailed talks with the CEO of HEP to get the latest information. According to Minister Šušnjar, the energy sector is stable," Plenković wrote.