Once you have been granted asylum or subsidiary protection, you are entitled to rights under compulsory health insurance and you are free to choose primary health care providers: general practitioners/family physicians, dentists, and paediatricians for preschool-aged children. Additionally, women have the right to choose a gynaecologist, and parents of preschool children under the age of seven can select a paediatrician.
You choose doctors in your place of residence or in the nearest place if there is no doctor in your place of residence, using the procedure described in the text How to choose primary care providers.
The procedure for choosing a gynaecologist
Every adult female in the Republic of Croatia is required to be registered with a primary gynaecologist. In exceptional cases, girls under the age of majority may be included in the primary gynaecologist's care team. In this case, they apply with consent and are accompanied by a parent or guardian. In agreement with the primary gynaecologist and the parent or guardian, the minor is allowed to come to the examinations alone.
If someone has recommended a gynaecologist to you or you want to choose one according to your place of residence, use the search engine mentioned above to see if they accept new patients at all.
Unfortunately, many gynaecologists have too many patients, so you may need to contact more than one until you find someone who can admit you. Depending on where you live, a gynaecologist may only be available a few days a week. If there is no gynaecologist in your locality, you will have to travel to another city or town to visit one.
Registration with the selected gynaecologist
When you have found a gynaecologist who can register you as their patient, ask the nurse at the gynaecological clinic to give you the Statement of choice/change of chosen health care provider form to fill it out. The Statement of choice/change of chosen health care provider can be downloaded online HERE
The form is the same for the selection of all providers in primary health care, and when you register with a gynaecologist, you select the item "women's health care". The second part of the form is filled out by your gynaecologist and certified with his signature and the seal of the office of a health care institution or private practice. The signed Statement is submitted by the selected provider to the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) for certification and data entry into the records, but in practice there are situations in which you will have to do it yourself.
HZZO will certify the information from the Statement based on the registered address of the office of the newly selected healthcare provider who submitted the Statement form. After certifying the data on the choice of doctor, the regional office of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund submits one copy of the certified Statement to the selected doctor, and one copy to the previously selected doctor or institution in which he or she works, in case you have already had a doctor and are now changing them.
Deadlines
You can receive health care services from your chosen provider no later than 10 days after signing the Statement. If you are changing providers, your former provider will hand over all your medical records to you within three days at the latest.
You choose a provider for a period of at least one year and you can change them at the end of this period. If you do not wish to change them, you do not have to do anything.
Making an appointment with a gynaecologist
You can visit primary care providers for an examination during working hours without a referral. When registering with your gynaecologist, check how you can make an appointment and take their contact details. Some prefer to communicate with patients by phone, others by e-mail. To make an appointment, simply call the office during working hours, tell the nurse what you need and she will schedule an appointment for you if necessary. It is not necessary to make an appointment with some providers, you can just come and wait for your turn. The gynaecologist will first ask you when you had your last period and/or when you expect the next one, so prepare this piece of information. Keep in mind that some gynaecological offices only schedule appointments at certain times (e.g. the first or last week of the month), or answer the phone only at certain times of the day, and that sometimes you have to call many times before the nurse answers.
If you have any urgency, such as bleeding or severe pain, and any discomfort, pain, or bleeding during pregnancy, you can come without notice.
Services provided by primary care gynaecologists
You visit the primary gynaecologist for routine gynaecological exams, check-ups for specific concerns, and to monitor your pregnancy. They can provide referrals for any tests you need, as well as prescriptions for necessary medications and contraception. If you need to go to the hospital for something, e.g. you had a miscarriage, want to terminate a pregnancy or need to be treated, the primary gynaecologist is the one who will issue you referrals and prescriptions according to the instructions of a specialist from the hospital.
Private gynaecologists
In addition to your primary care gynaecologist, you can also choose a private gynaecologist, for which you will pay an additional fee. In this case, simply call or email the selected private practice to schedule an appointment. You will need to cover the cost of the appointment yourself, so be sure to ask about the payment methods (cash, card, or both). However, if you need to undergo further tests at a hospital, a private gynaecologist cannot provide referrals or prescriptions for medications. Therefore, in any case, you should also be registered with the primary care gynaecologist.
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