Medical Wellness

Medical wellness services are services that, in addition to the application of preventive, medical, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and health care and medical rehabilitation procedures, implement targeted programmes to preserve and improve overall health and quality of life. As an organized implementation of medical programmes with the aim of preserving and improving health and quality of life, preventing and mitigating the consequences of chronic diseases, with the possibility of using natural healing factors, medical wellness is carried out by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, health associates and other team members depending on the type of the medical wellness programme, which must include a medical doctor who is the head of the medical wellness programme. Medical wellness services may be provided by health institutions, health care companies, private health workers, tourist medical services and other legal entities that, in accordance with a special regulation, perform catering activities and/or provide services in tourism. Medical wellness services may be provided by healthcare institutions and private healthcare professionals only outside the capacities contracted with the Croatian Health Insurance Institute.
 
Opinion on the medical wellness programme/group of medical wellness programmes
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 32 of the Ordinance on Norms and Standards for the Provision of Health Care Services in Health Tourism ("Official Gazette" No. 3/2024) based on the request of a health institution, a health care company, a private health professional, a tourist medical services or another legal entity that, in accordance with a special regulation, performs catering and/or provides services in tourism, the opinion on the medical wellness programme/group of medical wellness programmes is given by the Ministry of Health at the proposal of the Expert Committee for Medical Wellness of the Ministry.
 
When submitting a request for an opinion on a medical wellness programme/group of medical wellness programmes to the Expert Committee, it is necessary to submit:
  • reasoning of the request for an opinion on the medical wellness programme/group of medical wellness programmes;
  • the content of the medical wellness programme, the implementation plan and the composition of the multidisciplinary team that will implement the medical wellness programme.
 
Standards for the provision of medical wellness services
Standards for the provision of medical wellness services are published in Annex VI. of the Ordinance on Norms and Standards for the Provision of Health Care Services in Health Tourism (Official Gazette 3/2024). The decision on meeting the standards for the provision of medical wellness services shall be made by the Ministry of Health on the basis of the requests of health institutions, health care companies, private health workers, tourist medical services and other legal entities that, in accordance with a special regulation, perform catering and/or provide services in tourism.