If you test positive for an STI, you will be referred to an infectious disease specialist (infektolog) or a dermatologist/venereologist depending on the specific infection. Treatment is fully covered by the public healthcare system (HZZO) if you have state insurance. HUHIV (CheckPoint Zagreb) can help guide you to a gay-friendly specialist if you are unsure where to go. They can also provide advice on confidential partner notification.
Once diagnosed, your doctor will issue a prescription for the necessary antibiotics or antiviral medication. You can pick this up at any local pharmacy (ljekarna). If you are a tourist or an expat without HZZO coverage, you will generally need to pay out of pocket for both the medical consultation and the medication. The generic antibiotics themselves are inexpensive; the main out-of-pocket cost is the private specialist consultation, so ask the clinic for its consultation fee up front.
Telling recent sexual partners allows them to get tested and prevents the infection from bouncing back to you. For bacterial STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, you should abstain from sex until both you and your partners have finished the full course of treatment and any symptoms are gone. Your specialist will tell you if you need to return for a follow-up test (a "test of cure") to confirm the infection is fully cleared. Croatian practice follows European (IUSTI) guidelines here: a routine test of cure is not needed for uncomplicated chlamydia, but is advised for gonorrhoea — especially throat infections — about two weeks after treatment, and a retest for reinfection at three months is recommended.
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