Health system in Croatia can cope with higher number of cases

(Photo credit: HINA/ Damir SENCAR/ ds)

ZAGREB, Aug 19 (Hina) – Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday that Croatia’s health system would be able to cope with a higher number of COVID-19 patients unless there was a “complete disaster” and that the number of tests carried out would increase in the coming period.

Commenting on today’s daily high of 219 new COVID-19 cases, Beros said in an interview with N1 television that Croatia was increasing the number of tests because that was a good way to protect the health and social care systems.

We will definitely expand testing

“We will definitely increase the number of tests carried out in the coming period. Our strategy adapts to the moment. We are now slightly changing the strategy and it is definite that we will expand testing come autumn, which we are ready for,” he said.

Health system needs to be more efficient

Beros noted that Croatia’s health system needed to be more efficient and organised in a more rational way but that there would not be cuts in health care provision or testing.

Commenting on statements by Slovenian government spokesman Jelko Kacin that the situation in Croatia was dramatic, Beros said that Kacin was not familiar with the situation in Croatia’s health system.

“It suffices to look at the total number of tourists who have been to Croatia this year and the number of infected persons and realise that the situation is far from alarming or dramatic,” he said, adding that even now 80,000 Slovenian tourists feel safe in Croatia.

It is not good to portray situation in Croatia as more dramatic than it is

It is legitimate to prevent the infection from spreading to your country, especially ahead of the start of the school year, but it is not good to portray the situation in Croatia as more dramatic than it really is, Beros underscored.

Up to Croatia to keep situation under control, warn of high-risk situations

Asked whether it was possible that Germany would also put Croatia on its red list, he said that it was possible, but that it was up to Croatia to continue taking care of the number of cases of the infection, to warn about high-risk situations and detect hotspots.

It is important to stress that over a third of new cases are contacts of infected persons, the situation is under control, but it is not possible to say what will happen in the autumn, Beros said.