CROATIA

The Croatian IRC was established in 2023 and has since built collaborations with various patient and primary care organisations. The coalition is currently expanding its membership and strengthening the structure of its group.

The coalition’s key priorities include:

• Early detection of lung cancer in smokers
• Improvement of clinical guidelines for COPD, asthma and lung infections
• Prevention of respiratory infections in children and adults
• Improving air quality in larger Croatian cities
• Working to accelerate the renovation of hospitals damaged in the 2020 earthquake to provide better access to respiratory care

Croatia has implemented lung cancer screening among smokers aged 50+, which has been successful. However, prevention of tobacco smoking remains a challenge, especially in young adults, and a significant gap persists between cancer detection and initiation of treatment.

Inequalities in pulmonary healthcare across different regions, driven by a lack of lung specialists, are also an ongoing concern, with discussions planned with the Ministry of Health.

• COPD and asthma awareness campaigns
• TB and lung health control among immigrants, including lung X-ray
• Air pollution control
• Tobacco control among adolescents, focusing on e-cigarettes, through public campaigns

Croatian Respiratory Society
Croatian Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology
Croatian Society for Infectious Diseases
Croatian Society for Public Health
Croatian Society for Ecology in Healthcare
Croatian Society of Family Doctors
Croatian Society for Oncology
Croatian Society for Apnea
Croatian Society of Pediatric Pulmonologists
Croatian Society of Young Physicians
Croatian Society for Quality Life Improvement in Health Care
Sails (“Jedra”) – non-profit Association to help Lung Cancer Patients
Breath of life (Udah života”) – non profit Association of patients with Asthma and COPD