Navigating Croatian healthcare as an English speaker is manageable — English is widely spoken among younger doctors and clinic staff, especially in Zagreb. But knowing key terms helps you understand paperwork, make appointments, and communicate your needs clearly.
The Health System
| Purpose | Croatian Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hrvatska zavoda za zdravstveno osiguranje — Croatian Health Insurance Fund. | HZZO | The public insurance system. If you're a Croatian citizen or resident, this is your coverage. |
| Your personal identification number. | JMBG / OIB | JMBG is the older format (13-digit); OIB (Osobni identifikacijski broj) is the 11-digit tax/ID number used in healthcare. You'll need this for HZZO-covered services. Foreign nationals may use their passport or EHIC instead. |
| European Health Insurance Card. | EHIC | EU citizens can use this for emergency and medically necessary care at HZZO rates in Croatia. Not a substitute for travel insurance, but very useful for unexpected needs. |
| Your chosen/assigned GP (general practitioner). | Izabrani liječnik | Croatia's system assigns everyone a GP based on location. You register with one, and they're your first point of contact. Say: "Trebam izabranog liječnika" (I need a GP). |
| Specialist doctor. | Specijalista / Specijalist | You typically need a referral (uputnica) from your GP to see one. Infectious disease specialists (infektolog) are key for PrEP and HIV care. |
| Infectious disease specialist. | Infektolog | The doctor who prescribes and monitors PrEP and manages HIV treatment in Croatia. UHID is the main centre. |
| Private clinic / polyclinic. | Privatna klinika / Poliklinika | No referral needed. You pay out of pocket. |
Appointments
| Purpose | Phonetic | Croatian Term |
|---|---|---|
| To make an appointment | na-ROO-chee-tee seh | Naručiti se |
| Appointment time/slot | TEHR-min | Termin |
| Referral (from GP to specialist) | oo-POOT-nee-tsa | Uputnica |
| Prescription | REH-tsept | Recept |
| Private prescription (not HZZO covered) | Privatni recept | |
| Health insurance card (HZZO card) | ees-KAZ-nee-tsa | Iskaznica |
| To wait | CHEH-ka-tee | Čekati |
| Waiting room | cheh-ka-OH-nee-tsa | Čekaonica |
Sexual Health and Testing
| Purpose | Croatian Term |
|---|---|
| Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) | Spolno prenosive bolesti (SPB) |
| HIV test | HIV test |
| Anonymous test | Anonymni test |
| Swab (for testing) | Bris |
| Throat swab | Bris grla |
| Rectal swab | Rektalni bris |
| Urethral swab | Bris uretre |
| Blood / Blood test | Krv / Krvna pretraga |
| Urine / Urine culture | Urin / Urinokultura |
| Results | Rezultati |
| Positive / Negative | Pozitivan / Negativan |
At CheckPoint Zagreb or Iskorak: Staff speak English and are experienced with gay and bisexual men. You can simply speak English — don't worry about Croatian here.
HIV, PrEP, and PEP
| Purpose | Croatian Term |
|---|---|
| PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) | PrEP (Preekspozicijska profilaksa) |
| PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis) | PEP (Postekspozicijska profilaksa) |
| HIV positive / negative | HIV pozitivan / negativan |
| Undetectable (viral load) | Nedetektabilan |
| Viral load | Viralna opterećenost |
| CD4 cells | CD4 stanice |
| Antiretroviral therapy (ART) | Antiretrovirusna terapija (ART) |
| University Hospital for Infectious Diseases (Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr. Fran Mihaljević") | UHID |
For PEP, go to UHID (Mihaljevićeva 14, Zagreb) or the nearest KBC emergency department.
Vaccines
| Purpose | Croatian Term |
|---|---|
| Vaccine | Cjepivo |
| Vaccination | Cijepljenje |
| Hepatitis A / B | Hepatitis A / B |
| HPV vaccine | HPV cjepivo |
| Mpox | Ospice majmuna / Mpox |
| Vaccine prescription | Recept za cjepivo |
Mental Health
| Purpose | Croatian Term |
|---|---|
| Psychologist | Psiholog |
| Psychiatrist | Psihijatar |
| Counselling centre | Savjetovalište |
| Crisis | Kriza |
| Emergency psychiatric help | Hitna psihijatrijska pomoć |
Navigating the System
The most important thing to know: CheckPoint Zagreb (huhiv.hr) operates in English and is the single best first call for any sexual health navigation in Croatia. If you're uncertain about vocabulary, paperwork, or where to go — contact them first.
HUHIV / CheckPoint Zagreb: Ulica kneza Domagoja 10, Zagreb — walk-in or by appointment. Iskorak: Šenoina 34, Zagreb — LGBTQ+ health and support, English spoken.
Key Phrases
| Purpose | Phonetic | Croatian Term |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | goh-VOH-rih-teh lee EN-gleh-skee | Govorite li engleski? |
| Full STI panel — throat, rectum, and urethra | H-TYOH bih kom-PLEH-tahn SPB PAH-nel — GR-loh, REK-toom ee OO-reh-trah | Htio bih kompletan SPB panel — grlo, rektum i uretra. |
| Anonymous HIV test | TSEH-leem ah-NOH-neem-nee HIV test | Želim anonimni HIV test. |
| I'm on PrEP — need my monitoring appointment | treh-bahm kon-TROHL-nee PREH-glehd — nah-LAH-zeem seh nah PrEP | Trebam kontrolni pregled — nalazim se na PrEP. |
| I want to start PrEP | CHEH-leem zah-PO-cheh-tee s PrEP | Želim započeti s PrEP. |
| HIV exposure — I need PEP — urgently | TREH-bahm post-eks-poh-zih-TSEE-skoo proh-fee-LAHK-soo PEP HIT-noh | Trebam postekspozicijsku profilaksu (PEP) hitno. |
| I need an examination | TREH-bahm PREH-glehd | Trebam pregled. |
| I have an EHIC card | EE-mahm EHIC KAHR-tee-tsoo | Imam EHIC karticu. |
| I don't have health insurance | NEH-mahm ZDRAHV-stveh-noh oh-see-GOO-rah-nyeh | Nemam zdravstveno osiguranje. |
| I need emergency help | TREH-bahm HIT-noo POH-moch | Trebam hitnu pomoć! |
| Call an ambulance | zoh-VEE-teh SHIT-noo MEH-dee-tsin-skoo POH-moch | Zovite hitnu medicinsku pomoć! |
Emergency Numbers
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Emergency (all services) | 112 |
| Ambulance (Hitna medicinska pomoć) | 194 |
| Police | 192 |
| Fire | 193 |
Emergency departments (Hitna služba / Hitni prijem):
- UHID Zagreb: Mihaljevićeva 14 — for infectious disease emergencies, PEP
- KBC Zagreb: Kišpatićeva 12 — general emergency
- KBC Split: Spinčićeva 1 — if in Split
- KBC Rijeka: Krešimirova 42 — if in Rijeka