8:30 – 9:00 Registration/Statements for the media

9:00 – 9:05 Opening ceremony

Nina Išek Međugorac

Assist. Prof. PhD, Irena Hrstić, MD, Minister of Health

Assist. Prof. PhD Damir Ivanković, MD, MBA

Healthcare no longer suffers from a lack of topics, but from a lack of aligned values, priorities, coordination, and clear accountability.

In a time of growing expectations, limited resources, and increasingly complex challenges, the question is no longer only what the healthcare system can do, but what it must prioritise and how to define priorities that create the greatest value for citizens and society.

AGENDA: Who sets the priorities, defines accountability and perseverance within the healthcare system?

M.Sc. Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Responsible leadership of healthcare systems: Policies, institutions, and the public interest

Healthcare systems are facing rising costs, shortages of healthcare professionals, and increasingly complex population needs, while health outcomes are becoming more dependent on policies beyond the healthcare sector itself.

In such an environment, the role of governments and public institutions is becoming increasingly important – not only as system managers, but also as actors that define priorities, align interests, and protect the public interest in the long term.

Part 1: Fireside Chat

• Assist. Prof. PhD Irena Hrstić, MD, Minister of Health
• MSc Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Moderator: Prof. Niek Klazinga, MD, PhD

Discussion focus:

• What does governing healthcare systems actually mean today?
• Who sets priorities in increasingly complex systems?
• The medical profession, policymakers, payers, citizens, or crises — who drives the “big” decisions?
• Ultimately, who takes responsibility for population health?

Part 2: Panel 1.1

Panellists:

• Assist. Prof. PhD, Irena Hrstić, MD, Minister of Health
• MSc Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Prof. PhD Alen Ružić, Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy
• Fran Borovečki, MD, PhD, Director of the University Hospital Centre Zagreb 
• Sandra Velasco, Country President Adriatic Novartis

Moderator: Prof. Niek Klazinga, MD, PhD

Healthcare systems are facing rising costs, shortages of healthcare professionals, and increasingly complex population needs, while health outcomes are becoming ever more dependent on policies beyond the healthcare sector itself.

In such an environment, the role of the state and public institutions is gaining importance — not only as system administrators, but also as actors that define priorities, align interests, and safeguard the public interest in the long term.

Discussion Focus:

• How should priorities be set when needs exceed available resources?
• Can healthcare systems function without genuine cross-sector collaboration and without healthy — transparent and financially sustainable — cooperation with industry?
• What single change over the next five years would most improve healthcare system governance?
• How should governments balance the promotion of innovation with the protection of equity and long-term societal goals?

(Re)distribution of Roles and Responsibilities in Healthcare: From Principles to Practice

A New Era of Nursing in Emergency Medicine: Investing in Quality, Safety, and the Sustainability of the Healthcare System 

Using the example of emergency medicine, this lecture demonstrates how task shifting is no longer merely a theoretical concept, but a concrete systemic change. Through specialized training in Croatia, 393 specialist nurses have been qualified to act independently and administer medication in emergency and life-threatening situations.

This is a powerful example of how responsibility can be shifted closer to the patient — with clearly defined competencies, safety, and a rapid system response.

Ivana Portolan Pajić, M.D., Master of Public Health (MPH), Acting Director of the Directorate for Health Care, Ministry of Health 

(Re)Distribution of roles and responsibilities in healthcare: from principle to practice

Panellists:

• Martina Bogut Barić, BSc in Economics, University Master of Health Administration, Head of the Healthcare Human Resources Sector, Ministry of Health
• Assoc. Prof. PhD Krunoslav Capak, Primarius, MD, Director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (CIPH)
• Ana Soldo, MPharm, President of the Croatian Chamber of Pharmacists
• Dragan Soldo, MD, President of the Croatian Society of Family Doctors (Croatian Medical Association)

Moderator: Ivica Belina, Professor of Educational Rehabilitation, President of the Coalition of Healthcare Associations

Healthcare systems are undergoing major changes in the distribution of roles, responsibilities, and competencies among different professions and levels of care.

Task-shifting and task-sharing are increasingly used as tools to improve access and efficiency in healthcare delivery, while simultaneously raising questions about quality, safety, regulation, and accountability.

Using vaccination in pharmacies as an example, the panel explores how professional boundaries can be redefined while preserving quality of care and public trust.

Discussion focus:

• What can safely be transferred between professions?
• Where are the boundaries between clinical autonomy and institutional accountability?
• Is the legislative framework keeping pace with changes in practice?
• How can quality of care and trust between professions be maintained?

AGENDA: What do we consider the key issues in healthcare today?

11:35 – 11:40

Tomislav Sokol, PhD, Member of the Public Health Committee (SANT) in the European Parliament

“Which priorities does Europe see as the answer to today’s greatest healthcare challenges?”

This keynote lecture opens a critical discussion on how the European Union defines priorities in addressing the greatest challenges facing modern healthcare systems. Europe is seeking sustainable, long-term solutions that go beyond traditional models of care. From the perspective of European policy, increasing emphasis is being placed on prevention, strengthening system resilience, digital transformation, and reducing health inequalities among Member States.

The lecture provides insight into how these priorities are shaped at the EU level, including the key instruments and initiatives supporting their implementation, and how they are translated into concrete national policies and reforms. Particular focus will be placed on collaboration between institutions, Member States, and stakeholders in building healthcare systems that are fairer, more efficient, and more citizen-centred.

Lifelong health: can we move from reaction to anticipation?

Panellists:

• Assoc. Prof. PhD Mario Šekerija, MD, Head of the Department for Malignant Diseases with Registry, Croatian Institute of Public Health
• Petar Mažuran, Country Manager, Benefit Systems
• Igor Lerman, General Manager for the Adriatic Cluster, IQVIA
• PhD Mirela Šentija Knežević, Assistant Director of the City Office for Social Protection, Health, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities

Moderator: Anamarija Hrvoić Đurić, Manjgura, Director of Strategic Communications

Most healthcare systems still predominantly react only once disease appears, even though many health risks are predictable years in advance. The greatest challenges – chronic diseases, multimorbidity, mental health issues, and population ageing – develop gradually throughout the life course, while systems remain primarily organised around episodes of illness.

This panel explores how to build a system that actively manages health throughout the life course, connects data and sectors, and acts before problems escalate.

Discussion focus:

• How can we build an anticipatory, data-driven system?
• Who is responsible for health beyond episodes of illness?
• How can healthcare be connected with other sectors?
• How can systems that reward prevention and long-term outcomes be financed?

Playbook: Obesity 2026-2040

Panellists:

• Ivana Portolan Pajić, MD, MSc, Acting Director of the Administrative Organization, Ministry of Health
• Željko Miličević, MD, Psychiatrist, Country Senior Manager for Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eli Lilly
• Prof. PhD Viktor Peršić, MD, Cardiologist and Director of the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation of Heart, Lung and Rheumatic Diseases, Thalassotherapia Opatija
• Ljiljana Ćenan, MD, Family Medicine Specialist and President of the Health Literacy Association

Moderator: Marko Janković, Director, Jedinica Agency

Obesity has become one of the key sustainability challenges for healthcare systems, yet responsibility for addressing it remains fragmented across healthcare, education, industry, local communities, and public policy. At the same time, the development of new therapeutic options, including GLP-1 medications, is reshaping how healthcare systems approach obesity treatment.

The panel discusses how to connect prevention, clinical care, nutrition policies, education, and financing into a coherent and long-term sustainable system response.

Discussion focus:

• How can prevention, treatment, and long-term follow-up be integrated?
• Who coordinates the system response?
• How can new therapies be integrated into long-term care models?
• Are we investing more in treatment than in prevention?

How much health can we afford – or how much value do we create?

Panellists:

• mr. Robert Ljoljo, MSc, MBA, Director of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia
• Ana Gongola, PhD, DMD, President of the Association of
  Pharmaceutical Manufacturers within the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP)
• Assoc. Prof. Ana Bobinac, PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Rijeka
• Dr. Mario Bagat, MD, PhD, Specialist, Director of the Voluntary Health Insurance Sector, Wiener osiguranje, Vienna Insurance Group d.d.

Moderator: Mario Aunedi Medek, Director at the agency Val grupa komunikacije

The key question is no longer just how much we spend on healthcare, but how much value we create for patients and society. At the same time, a significant share of healthcare spending still goes toward interventions with limited or no benefit, while systems often reward volume of activity rather than outcomes that matter to citizens.

The panel explores how healthcare systems can be redirected toward value creation, reducing low-value care practices, and financing outcomes rather than activities alone.

Discussion highlights:

• What does “value” in healthcare actually mean – and who defines it?
• How can low-value care be reduced?
• How can systems finance outcomes instead of service volume?
• How can we assess whether innovations deliver real value?

AGENDA: How do we move from ideas and technology to real change?

2:40 – 2:45

Primarius Dorjan Marušič, MSc, MD, Specialist in Internal Medicine and International Healthcare Systems Expert

From Reform Ambitions to Measurable Change: Quality, Outcomes and Value in Healthcare System Transformation

This lecture addresses the question of how reform ambitions in healthcare can be translated into implementable decisions, measurable results, and real value for patients, the healthcare system, and society. The focus is on quality, outcomes, and value as practical tools for governance and health policy
development, rather than merely categories for measurement.

Particular emphasis is placed on the role of data, leadership, accountability, and organizational capacities in implementing change, as well as on lessons learned from experience regarding what enables — and what prevents — reforms from becoming concrete and measurable improvements within
healthcare systems.

Quality, outcomes and value in healthcare: are we measuring what truly matters?

Panellists:

• Prof. Jasna Mesarić, MD, PhD, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Libertas International University
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Branko Gabrovec, Director of the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia
• Dr. sc. Ivan Pristaš, Prim. MD, Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics (SMIB), Croatian Institute of Public Health
• Željka Vukelić, M.D., Director of Strategies for Patient Access to New Therapeutic Options and External Affairs for Eastern European Countries, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
• Aron Grubešić, Ph.D., M.D., Director of Medico Group

Moderator: Iris Duka Kramar, senior consultant at Alpheus Public Affairs

Healthcare systems still predominantly measure volume of activity – the number of consultations, hospitalisations and procedures – even though these indicators do not necessarily show what the system delivers for patients and society.

As a result, there is growing interest in patient outcomes and patient experience as a new foundation for defining the quality and value of healthcare.

Discussion highlights:

• Which outcomes should healthcare systems measure?
• Can PROMs and PREMs become tools for real change?
• Are systems ready to publish results transparently?
• How can quality measurement be linked to financing?

Who shapes health information today? Between public trust and professional responsibility

Panellists:

• Dr. Borka Pezo, MD, University Hospital Centre Zagreb
• Ivana Rimac Lesički, Editor-in-Chief, portalzdravlje.hr
• Ljiljana Vukota, Executive Director of the Association of Women Affected by and Treated for Cancer “Sve za nju”
• Darko Pejnović, Market Director for Croatia and Southeast Europe, JGL
• Ana Kruhak, Professor, Public Relations Officer, University Hospital Centre Zagreb

Moderator: Katarina Leko, Vice President of HUOJ, Head of Public Relations for the Adriatic Region, Novartis

Health information today reaches citizens through institutions, healthcare professionals, media outlets, social networks, and increasingly through digital assistants and AI tools. In such an environment, the boundaries between
expert information, public communication, and personal experience are becoming increasingly blurred, while at the same time the influence of unverified sources and misinformation continues to grow.

The panel explores who truly influences citizens’ health-related decisions today and how trust in professional information can be preserved in a digital environment.

Discussion Focus:

• Who shapes health information today — healthcare professionals and institutions, or media, influencers, and digital platforms?
• How can trust in the healthcare system, the profession, and public institutions be preserved?
• Where is the line between responsible communication and sensationalism?
• Do we need a shared standard for health communication, and who should safeguard it?

CLOSING CEREMONY – CALL TO ACTION

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