Factsheet for measure
HR-2021-44/2078
–
Updated
– measures in Croatia
GPs must contact patients 65+ for COVID-19 vaccine
Obveza liječnika primarne zdravstvene medicine da kontaktiraju osobe 65+ za cijepljenje protiv COVID-19
Background information
The situation in Croatia with the COVID-19 pandemic is very serious. On 28 October 2021, there have been 22,382 active cases of infection with the COVID-19, including 1,231 hospitalised patients, of whom 160 are on ventilators. In the week 18-24 October 2021, 97 of the 177 people over 65 years of age who died of the COVID-19 had not been vaccinated. However, interest in vaccination is growing and almost 6,000 of the 13,292 vaccinated on 28 October 2021, received their first shot, the highest number since July 2021. On 28 October 2021, Croatia has reached the vaccination rate of 56% of the adult population who have received the first dose, which is close to 1.9 million citizens. The government calls once again on citizens who are fully vaccinated to have themselves vaccinated with the third shot and on those who have not got vaccinated to do so.
Content of measure
Mr. Vili Beroš, the Minister of Health, underlined on 29 October 2021, that the people over 65 are the most vulnerable from COVID-19 and thus are the priority in protection. However, 40% of those over 80 years have not been vaccinated. Therefore, the Ministry introduced the obligation to GPs to contact their patients over 65 years in the next fortnight (until 13 November) and to motivate them for vaccination against COVID-19. If for some reasons the GPs are not be able to contact them by phone or e-mail, they should visit them at home, or have a district nurse do so, in the next 30 days. The GPs have to report to the ministry about their achieved results. Those infirm should be vaccinated at home.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
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04 September 2022
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The number of people suffering from the COVID-19 virus is decreasing and Croatia has mostly returned to the time before the pandemics. Nevertheless, a large number of people still die daily as a result of the infection and seriously ill patients are accommodated in the specialised wards. As the autumn is approaching, there is a possibility for a new flu season accompanied by a new wave of COVID-19. About 2 million of Croatia citizens of around 3.88 million total population completed the primary vaccination, and less than a million of them received the booster. The Croatian Institute of Public Health recommends vaccination for everyone who is over 60 years old and everyone who has chronic diseases. Croatia has very low vaccination rate in the younger age groups, so the Institute invites citizens to vaccinate their children. This especially applies to children who have chronic serious diseases with immunodeficiency, it would certainly be good for children to be vaccinated.
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01 November 2021
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Ms. Natasa Ban Toskic, president of the Coordination of Family Physicians in Croatia, on public N1 television commented the decision of the Ministry of Health according to which GP must contact by phone all people over 65 years who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. She said that they got the decision on 29 October 2021, although the vaccination has been going on for a year now. The family doctors were contacted by their patients on average 11 times during the year, and each time they regularly offered vaccinations. Before family doctors, the Ministry of Health appointed community nurses to motivate older population to get vaccinated, but the success was not achieved. The same was a try with the special vaccination bus, but also without success. The family doctors will obey the minister's decree, which is almost a war order that they have to follow. However, family doctors still feel free to express their opinion because they will become now unavailable to their patients who will be in waiting rooms while they will have to call others for vaccinations. Furthermore, they have to make lists and call all patients over 65 years of age, maybe more than once because it is not certain that someone will respond immediately. Moreover, patients will certainly want to talk about other health issues as well issues other than vaccination. For a family physicians there is a serious problem because if the patient disagreed over the phone, will they put any additional pressure on him or her. Going on a home visit requires a certain available time, what will happen with patients who are sick and need their family doctor. Briefly, according to the opinion by Ban Toskic, citizens need to take responsibility for their own health, while a doctor is not a responsible parent to his or her patients.
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Use of measure
The government appealed to the elderly to get vaccinated. Vaccination saves lives and it is government’s and citizens’ obligation to enable it. The elderly can be more easily infected and have a more severe clinical picture, so the role of the family doctor is important to bring out the fourth wave of the pandemic in the best possible way. General practitioners are those which directly care about the health situation of the population. With such activity, the government hopes to protect the lives of older citizens as one of the most vulnerable groups.
Target groups
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Workers
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Businesses
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Citizens
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Does not apply to workers
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Does not apply to businesses
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Older citizens
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Actors and funding
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Actors
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Funding
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National government
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No special funding required
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Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
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Trade unions
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Employers' organisations
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Role
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No involvement as case not in social partner domain
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No involvement as case not in social partner domain
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Form
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Not applicable
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Not applicable
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Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
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No involvement
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Main level of involvement: N/A
Involvement
Social partners were not involved in preparation and implementation of the mentioned measure.
Views and reactions
Until now, social partners did not express any opinion or statements. However, they are always in favor for measures which support the most vulnerable social groups, like people older than 65 years of age.
Sources
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29 October 2021: Obveza liječnika primarne zdravstvene medicine da kontaktiraju osobe 65+ za cijepljenje (Obligation of GP to contact persons 65+ for vaccination)
(vlada.gov.hr)
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29 October 2021: Liječnici kontaktiraju starije zbog cijepljenja (The medicine doctors should contact older persons for vaccination)
(dnevnik.hr)
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01 November 2021: Mišljenje liječnika o kontaktiranju starih osoba zbog cijeljenje (The opinion of family doctors o contacting older persons for vaccination)
(www.telegram.hr)
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04 September 2022: Preporuke Zavoda za javno zdravstvo (Recommendations of The Croatian Institute of Public Health)
(vijesti.hrt.hr)
