Bulj Fires Back at Minister Hrstić
Sinj Mayor Accuses Government of Systematically Shutting Down Maternity Wards, Pediatrics, and Labs, and of Hypocrisy Ahead of Sinjska Alka, While Minister Retorts It's Political Manipulation.
Sinj Mayor Accuses Government of Systematically Shutting Down Maternity Wards, Pediatrics, and Labs, and of Hypocrisy Ahead of Sinjska Alka, While Minister Retorts It's Political Manipulation.
The conflict between Health Minister Irena Hrstić and Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj escalated ahead of the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Sinjska Alka. After the minister accused Bulj of political manipulation, he responded on August 7, 2026, with a detailed and sharp rebuttal, accusing the government of systematically dismantling healthcare in the Cetina region.
In his response, carried by DalmacijaDanas, Bulj dismissed the minister's claims about healthcare development. "Dear Minister Hrstić, don't try to sell us statistics and political slogans. We live here and see every day with our own eyes what is happening to our healthcare," Bulj said. He stressed that citizens are waiting outside closed doors, searching for pediatricians, trying to get lab tests done, and taking sick parents to Split, fearing they won't make it in time.
"You don't need to explain to us how healthcare is developing in Sinj. We see it dying: service by service, door by door..." the mayor added. He specifically addressed the fate of the Sinj maternity ward, which he claims was shut down systematically and deliberately.
Bulj made a serious accusation that the ministry first stripped the maternity ward of medical staff and conditions for normal operation, instilled fear among pregnant women, and sent them to Split, only to later use those same numbers as proof that the ward was no longer needed. "Now you tell us that no child has been born in Sinj in two years. Of course not, Minister, because you did everything to ensure that!" he emphasized.
He reminded that the Sinj maternity ward was one of the first in Croatia and held the title "Baby-Friendly Hospital," questioning how it suddenly became unsafe and redundant. "Instead of renovating and strengthening it, you systematically turned it into a so-called emergency maternity ward, a place where a woman in her own town can only give birth if she can't make it to Split in time," Bulj said, calling it a deliberate and planned shutdown.
He linked this directly to Sinj's tradition and identity: "After 311 years of the Sinjska Alka, you and the leaders of the Croatian government have humiliated Sinj to the point that a future alkar can only be born in his own town, by accident." He accused officials of hypocrisy for attending the Alka and taking photos with alkars while simultaneously saying that Split is only 35 kilometers away.
The mayor noted that the same pattern applies to the laboratory, whose services have been reduced to morning hours, forcing patients to travel to the overcrowded KBC Split. He also claimed that pediatrics is collapsing, and the system is set up to fall apart the moment one doctor goes on sick leave or vacation. "Parents with sick children are left outside closed doors while you say the system works. It doesn't, Minister!" Bulj said.
He also rejected accusations of politicizing, emphasizing that he is fighting for the constitutional right of over 50,000 residents to accessible healthcare. He reminded that it was the government, not him, that promised the Sinj General Hospital before the elections. "Citizens remember what you said before the elections and see what you do after," he said. He demanded the establishment of the Sinj General Hospital, the return of the maternity ward, and the provision of doctors, pediatricians, and full-day laboratory services.
On the other hand, Health Minister Irena Hrstić sent an open letter to Mayor Bulj ahead of the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, published on the Ferata portal. In it, she expressed regret that the mayor chose to raise this issue at that particular moment. The minister stated that citizens' health must not be a tool for political manipulation, making it clear she considers Bulj's statements politically motivated.
The conflict has been ongoing for some time and culminated ahead of one of the most important dates in the Croatian calendar and the biggest cultural event in the Cetina region. In his response, Bulj went a step further, invoking his veteran status: "While the 'Zrinski croissant battalion' was marching through Brussels corridors, I was defending the homeland with my comrades. I didn't defend Croatia so that one day children, pregnant women, the sick, and the elderly in Sinj would be second-class citizens."
He concluded by inviting the minister, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and government members to come to Sinj, with an ironic welcome: "Welcome to the Sinjska Alka, to the ceremonial box, among the alkars who, thanks to your policies, can no longer even be born in Sinj."
