First Centre for Children with Chronic Illness to Be Built in Croatia

Foundations have been laid for the construction of the Centre for children with chronic illness, which will be a rehabilitation centre for children and will be the first of its kind in Croatia, write index.hr…

The new centre will be built in the capital Zagreb and will offer facilities to help chronically ill children, and support those who are losing the battle with life to help them live with dignity until the end. Centres of this kind have are common throughout the world and now Croatia will have one its own.

“The children will just lie in the hospital for two or three months. On the first day analysis is carried out, the next day everything that is required is organised, whether that is surgery or therapy, on the third day the child is under control and by the fourth they are ready to go to the centre with their family. Most will go with Mum and Dad, brothers or and sisters, if work and obligations allow, and they live some sort of life, like the project is titled – ‘A home away from home’,” said director Višnja Vranešić, adding that the centre will not have a hospital ‘feel’ and that the children will have the chance to go outside and play with other kids and do things like make pancakes with their mothers at night.

The centre, which is 1700 m2, will accommodate up to 50 people with 20 staff members. Construction of the centre will cost just over 2 million euros with Zagreb City financing 50% of it.