The Croatian health policy. In the whirlpool of reforms and contemporary social challenges

The paper presents the development of Croatian health policy ftom the second half of the 19(th) century until the end of 2006, focusing on the period of post-socialist transition. The analysis relies on three basic elements: the outline of crucial laws and reforms (that shape the policy), the analysis of social effects of the health system (key health indicators, costs Of the system and the rights of insured persons) and the analysis of social circumstances and key actors of the health policy of Croatia. It shows that a series of reforms (particularly frequent in the transition period) failed to address the crucial issues of financing, accessibility and quality of the health protection, although such actions managed to cope with the most acute financial problems in the short run. The analysis also shows that a series of health indicators does not provide a unambigous picture of the health system of Croatia. It is possible to identify those that speak of the favourable, but also of the unfavourable aspects of the health protection. The end of the paper urges for development of a public and professional discussion by pointing out both to complexity of the health system and to the social context in which it operates. Such a discussion could help to solve at least some of the dilemmas of the future development of the health policy of Croatia.