Croatia - Medical Tourism Croatia - Medical Tourism
Croatia is an attractive and increasingly popular tourist destination with over 18 million tourist visits per year (Croatia’s population is 4 million). Currently, summer leisure tourism is predominant and the Ministry of Tourism is working to prolong the season through the development of different segments of tourism, including medical tourism. Croatia has a strong starting position to develop as a medical tourism destination: it has safe, high quality, and affordable treatments in dental and cosmetic surgery, physical therapy, and medical rehabilitation.
In January 2018, the Ministry of Tourism passed the new Law on Providing Services in Tourism that recognizes medical tourism services for the first time. With its implementation on July 1 2018, the law provided the regulatory framework a total of $350 million in pending medical tourism projects. The key projects include the development of the orthopedic hospital in Lovran, and the development of special hospitals for medical rehabilitation collocated with well-known thermal baths at Krapinske Toplice and Daruvarske Toplice. The European Union announced that new funds will be made available for tourism in 2020, which will additionally boost medical tourism infrastructure projects in Croatia.
The growth of medical tourism in Croatia will increase the demand for high quality medical devices, consumables, and equipment. Additionally, medical tourism creates a demand for hospitality services in the healthcare sector, healthcare software, telemedicine, and accreditation institutions.
Leading Sub-Sectors
Private healthcare institutions are driving the Croatian medical tourism market. The capital city, Zagreb, recognized the benefits of medical tourism and is actively working on its promotion through the Zagreb Cluster of Health Tourism. The Association of the Medical Tourism Development is the most active non-governmental institution, while the Health Tourism Industry (HTI) has been one of the leading conference organizers for the health tourism industry in Europe. These associations gather private healthcare providers and organize the key local medical tourism events (see Key Events).
Dental tourism attracts the highest number of medical tourists in Croatia, mainly from Italy, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Materials and techniques used by dentists in Croatia conform to the highest standards of quality, keeping up with the latest global trends set by world renowned manufacturers of equipment and supplies. Dental implants and dentures are the most used services, with about 50% lower prices compared to Western Europe. The largest clinic engaged in dental tourism is Rident, which serves about 50,000 foreign patients a year.
The leading clinics for medical tourism are: the eye clinic Svjetlost, St. Catherine's Special Hospital for Orthopedy, Radiochirugia for tumor treatment, and the aesthetic Policlinic Bagatin. These clinics are the main buyers of medical equipment and are most likely to experiment with new medical techniques or devices.
Wellness tourism in Croatia is mainly conducted in thermal and medical rehabilitation hospitals through a network of over 20 rehabilitation and wellness centers. This segment of medical tourism has the highest number of announced infrastructure projects, including a $25 million Chinese investment in Krapinske Toplice.
The medical equipment market in Croatia is dominated by imports, mainly from EU countries, supplied through local distributors. Some of the leading Croatian distributors include Medika, Medical Intertrade and Stoma Medical.
Key Events
The largest medical tourism conference in Croatia is the Health Tourism Industry (HTI), an annual conference held in Zagreb in early March. In 2018, the conference gathered over 400 participants from more than 40 countries, with the most relevant world-wide experts from the health tourism field. Another key event is the Adriatic Health and Investment Forum, which will be held in Zagreb, October 21-22, 2019.
Web Resources
Croatian Ministry of Health
Croatian Institute for Health Insurance
Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices
Zagreb Cluster of Health Tourism
Association of the Medical Tourism Development
Health Tourism Industry
U.S. Embassy - U.S. Commercial Service
Nina Cerkez, Commercial Assistant
Zagreb, Croatia
Tel: +385 (0)1 661 2090; Fax: +385 (0)1 661 2446
Email: Nina.Cerkez@trade.gov
Website: export.gov/croatia/
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