ZAGREB, 10 June (Hina) – Croatia performs better than the OECD average in public healthcare funding and coverage of health services, but life expectancy remains about two and a half years below the organisation’s average, OECD Health Division head Francesca Colombo said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the HealthComm Forum in Zagreb, Colombo said access to healthcare in Croatia was relatively good, but health outcomes continued to lag behind those of the best-performing member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

She said population health was influenced not only by the healthcare system but also by lifestyle habits, education and other public policies.

Colombo identified smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity as the most significant preventable health challenges, stressing that prevention and health literacy should become priorities. She also noted Croatia’s high cancer incidence and mortality rates, calling for further improvements in prevention, early detection, treatment and monitoring of health outcomes.

She said the Croatian healthcare system remained overly focused on hospital care and should increasingly shift towards stronger primary healthcare, preventive programmes and more patient-centred services.

Among the main long-term challenges, Colombo highlighted population ageing and emigration, which simultaneously increase demand for healthcare while reducing the number of people financing the system.

She also said Croatia lacked some of the data needed for a comprehensive assessment of healthcare quality and treatment outcomes, adding that high-quality and comparable data could help shape more effective health policies.

Colombo said successful healthcare reforms required common goals, open dialogue and a willingness to embrace change.

Health Minister Irena Hrstić, addressing the forum by video link, stressed the importance of prevention and adapting the healthcare system to changing health needs. She noted that preventive health screenings introduced 18 months ago for citizens at increased risk of disease had shown that seven in ten people examined had at least one preventable risk factor.

The fourth HealthComm Forum brought together representatives of healthcare institutions, patient associations, experts, businesses and policymakers to discuss challenges facing Croatia’s healthcare system and opportunities for its further development.