Healthcare in Sinj Is Not Shutting Down
Sinj Mayor Warns of Reduced Services and Calls for a General Hospital; Health Minister Responds with Investment Figures and Claims His Statements Are Inaccurate.
Sinj Mayor Warns of Reduced Services and Calls for a General Hospital; Health Minister Responds with Investment Figures and Claims His Statements Are Inaccurate.
Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj sent an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday, requesting the initiation of procedures to establish a General Hospital in Sinj. In the letter, he warned of what he claims is the gradual phasing out of healthcare services in the area, prompting a sharp response from Health Minister Irena Hrstić.
In her reaction, which was fully reported by Index.hr, the Minister expressed regret over the timing of the letter's release. "We are sorry that the Mayor of Sinj, Mr. Bulj, chose to open a political polemic about healthcare right before the celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, instead of keeping the days dedicated to Croatian veterans above daily politics," Hrstić stated.
Bulj claims that the closure of the maternity ward, reductions in certain services, and a shortage of doctors have further hampered access to healthcare for residents of Sinj, Vrlika, Hrvace, Otok, and Dicmo. He also highlighted a specific issue tied to local tradition.
"You closed our maternity ward, striking at the very heart of the Alka tradition, which requires an alkar to be born in Sinj," Bulj said. He also argued that the healthcare system is not equally accessible to all citizens, noting that while some parts of Croatia see investment in hospital infrastructure, services in Sinj are being reduced.
"We are not asking for charity but for what the people of this region deserve and what citizens in other parts of Croatia have long had: accessible, safe, and dignified healthcare," the Mayor of Sinj stated.
Minister Hrstić strongly rejected Bulj's claims about the shutdown of healthcare. She emphasized that the Sinj Health Center is not an institution being phased out but one that the Government continues to invest in. As concrete examples, she cited the allocation of €200,000 for the renovation of the inpatient unit and physical therapy, as well as over half a million euros for new medical equipment.
She specifically addressed the issue of the maternity ward. "It was not closed due to political whim but because of medical reality. After the number of births dropped from 167 per year to none over two years, the safety of mothers and children required that deliveries be performed at the Split University Hospital Center, where all necessary specialist care is available 24 hours a day," Hrstić explained.
She added that as early as January 2026, at a meeting at the Ministry of Health, which Bulj also attended, a plan for the development of a day hospital and minor surgery in Sinj was presented, not a general hospital located 35 kilometers from the Split University Hospital Center.
The Minister also provided data on the current healthcare network in Sinj, which includes 15 family medicine teams, 13 dental medicine teams, three gynecology teams, two pediatrics teams, a laboratory, hemodialysis, home care, telemedicine, and a range of specialist outpatient clinics.
At the same time, Hrstić noted that a response from the City of Sinj is still awaited regarding a proposal from the Split-Dalmatia County Health Center to co-finance a gastroenterology clinic worth €300,000, for which there are doctors ready to work in Sinj.
"The health of citizens must not be a tool for political manipulation. The facts clearly show that the Ministry of Health continues to invest in the development of healthcare in Sinj and the Cetina region, guided solely by the interests of citizens and the quality of healthcare," the Minister concluded.
