A year has passed from the start to the completion of the works that finalized the new private hospital for orthopedics and traumatology, Akromion. The investment, amounting to 27 million euros, has secured Akromion the title of the largest private hospital in Croatia, expanded medical services, and once again raised the question of the business potential of private healthcare.
The new hospital, whose construction was announced two years ago, will fully operate starting the first Monday in October, located in the Dugave area of Zagreb. Although the hospital operated for years in Krapinske Toplice and later in the Zagreb polyclinic on Vrbanićeva Street, it has now completely relocated to a space that spans over eight thousand square meters, on a plot of approximately 9,500 square meters.
According to data from Poslovna Hrvatska, Akromion generated 6.57 million euros in revenue last year and achieved a profit of 937 thousand euros.
Potential of private healthcare
Akromion is owned by the company Osteon, which has a total of nine co-owners: Nikola Čičak, Miroslav Hašpl, Denis Tršek, Hrvoje Klobučar, Nenad Medančić, Damir Starčević, and Tomislav Tabak, who are also doctors at the hospital. Alongside them, the ownership structure of the hospital includes Stjepan Talan and the company Korta, represented by Domagoj Kamenski (director of the construction company Kamgrad that built the hospital) and Kornelija-Marija Adrović. —
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Both Talan and Korta entered the ownership structure two years ago (when the project for the new hospital was announced), and their involvement in this sector raises questions about interest in private healthcare.
Talan, the owner and director of Solvis, a company for the production of solar panels, who invested four million euros in Akromion, emphasized that he sees great potential in Akromion and private healthcare, which is why it was important for him to support this project.
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— – The perspective of private healthcare in Croatia is developing. I have been following healthcare for 30 years, and compared to the public sector, I truly have faith in private healthcare and specifically in the long-term development and expertise in the case of Akromion – said Talan for Lider.
Zdenko Adrović, director of Korta and long-time former president of the Raiffeisen Bank Management Board, pointed out to Lider that they entered the investment in the new hospital after collaborating with the owners and management of the hospital in 2018, when they worked together on the procurement and financing of modern medical technology.
– We got to know each other well during that period and continued our collaboration in preparing the financing and construction project for the new Akromion hospital. The project is a combination of domestic capital and loans in an optimal ratio. We expect the investment to be successful in all elements and that the benefits will be enjoyed not only by the owners but also by patients and society as a whole – emphasized Adrović.
He also pointed out that Croatia has paid almost no attention to the development of private healthcare or its integration into the overall healthcare system. —
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– This is deeply wrong. A combined system exists in almost all countries. The growth and development of private healthcare in Croatia is happening despite this. The private healthcare system needs to be integrated into the overall healthcare system as soon as possible. One of the quite visible benefits is the very rapid reduction of waiting lists for almost all or most procedures or services that are lacking in Croatia. There is no reason not to allow patients to use private healthcare services with the participation of HZZO – said Zdenko Adrović.
