On Thursday, 13 March 2025, stakeholder consultations were held at the Ministry of Health regarding the Support Measure within the Palliative Care Program under the second Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme.
The Framework Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Swiss Federal Council on the implementation of the Second Swiss Contribution for selected EU member states aimed at reducing economic and social disparities within the European Union came into force on 17 May 2023. Under this agreement, 45.7 million Swiss francs have been allocated to Croatia, of which 5.5 million are designated for palliative care.
In order to better prepare for the use of available funds and to facilitate the exchange of opinions and proposals, all interested representatives of public authorities, healthcare institutions, local and regional self-government units, professional associations, and civil society organizations working in the field of palliative care were invited to participate in the consultations.
The public consultation began with an introductory speech by State Secretary Ass. Prof., Primarius Marija Bubaš, MD, PhD, spec., followed by Mr. Roland Python, Head of the Swiss Contribution Office at the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in the Republic of Croatia and Ms. Natalija Laštro, Head of the Sector for EU Programmes and International Financial Mechanisms at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, who acts as the National Coordination Unit for the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Program. After the presentation, which highlighted the challenges of current palliative care in Croatia and the planned activities within the proposed Support Measures of the Palliative Care Program, a discussion followed.
Participants agreed that the challenges had been well identified and jointly welcomed the funding, structure, and future training that will be provided through the Program.
The Palliative Care Program is focused on improving the quality of life of patients and their families and will be implemented in collaboration with Swiss public or private non-profit organizations active in palliative care. The Program will also promote the exchange of experiences, knowledge, and best practices with Swiss partners.
Consultation report with comments and recommendations can be found here