In the first three months, 16.3 million visits to family medicine practices were recorded, nearly a million more than last year. Doctors warn about patients seeking a fifth opinion, while the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) has secured €65 million to ease the burden.
Croatian citizens are increasingly visiting their family doctors, even when there is no specific medical reason to do so. According to HZZO data, in the first three months of this year, practices recorded 16,333,000 visits, which is 992,000 more than in the same period last year.
In a conversation with RTL Danas journalist Kristina Čirjak, patient Stanko Lugar (73) honestly admitted that he visits his doctor often, sometimes without a valid reason. "I come at least once a month. If nothing else, just to see him," Lugar said.
Dr. Juraj Jug, a physician at the Zagreb West Health Center, confirmed that they have patients who come twice a week without a specific indication. "They call, send emails, seek third, fourth, fifth opinions, and overwhelm us with requests we cannot fulfill," Jug stated.
HZZO spokesperson Nenad Korkut noted that overall primary care saw a 6.5 percent increase. The largest growth was in preventive programs for children and youth, where workload rose by 20 percent.
Family medicine doctors, dentists, and gynecologists are experiencing increased workloads, while pediatricians see slightly fewer visits, though this does not mean their workload has decreased. Dr. Venera Zahariev Španiček, a pediatrician at the Zagreb County Health Center, Zaprešić branch, explained: "I must also say that the number of registered patients is increasing, so we have more preventive check-ups, but more and more parents are coming with children out of fear and ignorance."
The number of prescriptions filled has also risen, with 1.1 million more this year than last. From 2019 to 2025, an analysis covering 48 Zagreb health centers found that doctors' workload increased by 3 percent.
The biggest change concerns the number of emails. "It's a huge increase; we notice the most change in email volume. In 2019, it wasn't used, but by 2025, it accounted for 25 percent of the practice's work. On an annual basis, one practice responds to 10,000 emails, which is really a lot," said Dr. Jug.
Due to the increased burden on practices, HZZO and the Ministry of Health have stepped in financially. HZZO spokesperson Nenad Korkut stated: "We decided to provide additional funds and increase funding for primary care to help them; we secured €65 million."
