ZAGREB, 12 June (Hina) – Croatia has launched a home haemodialysis programme, a new treatment option for patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease, enabling them to undergo dialysis at home rather than in hospital.
The programme is currently being implemented at Zagreb’s Dubrava University Hospital, Rijeka University Hospital Centre, Split University Hospital Centre and Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre in Zagreb, with the first seven patients already carrying out treatment independently at home.
Health Minister Irena Hrstić described the initiative as a strategic improvement in care for patients with chronic kidney failure, aimed at providing high-quality and safe treatment as close as possible to patients’ homes.
The programme will also ease the burden on families by allowing treatment to take place in a familiar home environment, said Croatian Health Insurance Fund director Zvonimir-Ante Korda.
Acting head of the dialysis department at Dubrava University Hospital, Ivan Durlen, said home haemodialysis offers better clinical outcomes and improved quality of life, as patients can schedule treatment at times that suit them. Croatia has around 2,400 haemodialysis patients, and he estimated that up to 10 per cent could initially be suitable candidates for home treatment, provided they can perform the procedure themselves or have assistance from another person.
According to Ivan Bubić, president of the Croatian Society of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, the introduction of home haemodialysis places Croatia among the most advanced European countries in offering modern kidney replacement therapies in patients’ homes. He also announced plans to develop assisted dialysis services for elderly and less mobile patients.
The programme is particularly important for residents of islands and other remote areas who often face long journeys to dialysis centres, said Ivo Jeličić, head of the dialysis department at Split University Hospital Centre.
Patients have shown strong interest in the new treatment option because it offers greater flexibility and makes it easier to balance therapy with everyday life, said Petra Sučić, president of the Croatian Association of Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Patients.
Mladen Horvat, the first Croatian patient to carry out home haemodialysis independently, said the treatment had given him greater freedom and autonomy in planning daily activities.
Dubrava University Hospital currently treats 80 patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis and 12 receiving peritoneal dialysis, while two patients have so far joined the home haemodialysis programme.
