Slovenia and Croatia to formalise emergency health service cooperation
Izola, 13 July - Slovenia and Croatia will sign an agreement on Friday, formalising an existing protocol under which people living just across the border in the Croatian region of Istria have access to emergency medical services of the Izola general hospital, with expenses paid for by the Croatian public health insurance fund.
Izola
The Izola general hospital.
Photo: Kaja Kraljevič/STA
File photo
The agreement will be signed by prime minister Andrej Plenoković and Robert Golob during Golob's first official visit to Zagreb.
It will formalise an existing cross-border protocol on emergency medical services, which include strokes, infarctions and severe injuries, the Izola hospital told the STA on Wednesday. The number of patients is not expected to increase.
The objective is to provide better access to emergency services and hospital treatment to persons in northern Istria in need of urgent medical help, the Health Ministry said in a statement for the STA.
Istria is home to some 320,000 people and during the summer tourist season the number of people doubles, while roads see a significant increase in traffic. This cooperation will improve outcomes for patients with life-threatening conditions, the ministry added.
The idea was developed from Emergency EuroRegion, a three-year EU project launched by several partners, including the Izola hospital, in 2017.
The project indicated several possible solutions which will now be formalised upon Croatia's wish. The agreement will cover residents and tourists staying in Umag, Novigrad, Buje, Brtonigla, Grožnjan and Oprtalj.
The hospital is expected to handle patients from Croatia without problems. "Based on experience from the project, we do not expect any problems in providing emergency services," the ministry said.
Treatment of Croatian citizens will be paid by Croatia's health insurance fund, while treatment of other EU citizens will be paid by their respective insurers.