Croatia's 'corrupt' health system needs major surgery, say critics

ZAGREB — A high-profile graft case involving Croatia's health minister has stoked fresh anger at the country's public health system, with patients claiming it is being crippled by questionable practices and mismanagement.

Croatia has long struggled to contain rampant government graft with more than a dozen ministers from the ruling HDZ party forced to step down since 2016.

But the arrest of health minister Vili Beros earlier this month along with a leading neurosurgeon who was moonlighting at three private clinics owned by his family members, has struck a bitter chord with many.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Zagreb launched an investigation into eight suspects, including Beros, for allegedly abusing his position and accepting bribes.

The scheme included overpaying for operating microscopes by more than 600,000 euros ($633,000) at the taxpayer's expense, the EPPO said.

Patient groups have blamed officials for allowing a dual health system to flourish in Croatia that has allowed private clinics to piggy back on public institutions.

Doctors working in the public health system have been known to funnel patients to their private practices where they can charge fees — something that is technically legal but widely reviled.

For many, the case involving the minister and the neurosurgeon is just the tip of the iceberg.

Health care experts and patients say graft and mismanagement has led to long waits for routine procedures, inadequate care and a further erosion of trust.

For cancer patient Nives Badurina, 57, the latest corrpution scandal is particularly infuriating.

"Crime and greed were more important than human lives," Badurina told AFP.

Badurina blamed the public health system for delays in her treatment, saying her radiotherapy has gone on for three months instead of the usual five weeks, due to faulty and outdated equipment at state cancer clinics.

"That literally means the difference between life and death, since private interests prevail," she added.

Marija, a 39-year-old cervical cancer patient from the eastern city of Vukovar, echoed the complaint, saying her treatment took twice as long as it should.

"They are basically stealing money from one of the most vulnerable categories — sick people," she told AFP.

Jasna Karacic Zanetti, who heads a patients' rights group, said the consequences are devastating.

"Patients often face long waiting times for diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations which can directly impact health outcomes," she told AFP.

In Croatia, most public health sector employees can work at private clinics with the permission of their employer.

One-third of the country's 7,000 hospital doctors have taken up the option, official figures show.

Doctors and resources intended for the public sector often get redirected for private gain, according to Zanetti.

Prosecutors are also investigating two doctors from the Adriatic city of Zadar suspected of treating patients in a private clinic owned by one of them while charging a public hospital overtime.

With public pressure mounting, government officials have vowed to act.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic ordered an extensive review of the health sector aimed at reigning in wasteful spending after sacking Beros, who denies the charges.

"We will have a stronger control mechanism than we have had so far," said the premier.

The fight against corruption was a key condition for Croatia's entry into the EU in 2013, but graft still remains endemic.

A staggering 96 percent of Croatians consider corruption to be widespread, according to a EU Eurobarometer survey, the second highest it has ever recorded.

But for patients like Badurina — who said most doctors do their best within "a horrible system" — more than just promises are needed.

"I'm appalled, furious and deeply disappointed," she told AFP.