Referral for treatment abroad
The Directorate of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) decides on referrals for treatment abroad depending on the opinion of specialist doctors from contractual healthcare institutions
A condition to be referred for treatment abroad is that the required treatment cannot be provided in the contractual healthcare institutions in Croatia and is successfully administered abroad.Persons insured with the CHIF may receive the following treatment abroad:
- Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures,
- Surgery, including organ transplants, which cannot be performed in the contractual healthcare institutions in Croatia,
- Hospital and outpatient treatment,
- Check-ups,
- Diagnostic blood and tissue tests,
- Searches in international registers of bone marrow donors,
Submitting a request
A request for treatment abroad is submitted on the form called Request and proposal for referral for treatment abroad, which is issued by a specialist doctor from the competent reference centre of the Ministry of Health, the specialist doctor who has been treating you or the medical council of the contractual healthcare institution where you have been undergoing treatment.The Request form can be found on the CHIF’s website
Request and proposal for referral for treatment abroad.
Based on the Proposal for referral for treatment abroad and the opinion of a specialist from a contractual healthcare institution, the medical committee of the CHIF’s Directorate will make its findings and give its opinion and assessment. Based on the assessment, it will issue a first-instance decision. The decision will also establish to what type of public transportation or non-emergency transport you are entitled.
The medical committee of the CHIF’s Directorate decides to which institution you will be referred for treatment, taking into account the proposal of the competent reference centre or specialist doctor; that is, the medical council of the hospital which has been treating you.
Appeals procedure
If you are not satisfied with the first-instance decision regarding your request, you may lodge an appeal with the CHIF’s director within 15 days from the date of receipt of the decision.A complaint against the decision of the CHIF’s director shall be filed with the competent Administrative Court within 30 days from the date of receipt of the decision.