The Ministry of Health has announced the expansion of the Central Health Information System (“CEZIH”) to encompass private healthcare providers. This decision follows growing concerns from patients whose diagnostic results from private facilities were not consistently accepted within the public system.
The Minister of Health emphasized that this initiative aims to improve digital interoperability between the public and private sectors, enabling faster, more accurate and safer clinical decision-making. For patients, this means greater security and assurance that test results from private institutions will be fully recognized within the public system. The Ministry of Health noted that duplicate diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations are still common in the current system. One of the key measures to address this issue is digitalization. By the end of 2025, the private sector is expected to be fully connected to the CEZIH, allowing general practitioners and specialists to view all previous procedures and diagnostics performed for a patient and thus avoiding unnecessary duplication.
The expansion is part of a broader strategy to enhance digital interoperability in the Croatian health system, aiming to create comprehensive, patient-centred electronic health records accessible across both public and private care settings.