Croatia has a population of 4.1 million and scores 59.3% in the 2020 Contraception Policy Atlas. Croatian National Institute of Public Health has a website which covers various topics, including information on contraception, presented in the form of short articles. In Croatia, compulsory insurance covers 100% of the prices of some contraceptives if prescribed by the doctor. Oral and hormonal contraceptives that are included in the supplementary list of the National Institute of Public Health are partially covered by compulsory insurance and the remaining amount has to be paid out of pocket. There are no special reimbursement schemes for youth or any other vulnerable group regarding contraception. Emergency contraception (ellaOne and Escapelle) and non-prescription hormonal contraceptives is available in the pharmacies.
Recommendations:
- Croatia needs to focus on creating reimbursement schemes for contraception for all women of reproductive age, to ensure that vulnerable groups and adolescents are covered. Such reimbursement should include long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).
- Providing accurate information on modern contraception online is a key step for Croatia, as it’s a cost-effective and straightforward way to increase awareness and access to modern contraception, specifically since Croatian modern contraceptive prevalence rate is low (36% of women aged 15-49).
- Efforts in improving sexual education and counselling should be done, hand in hand with contraception destigmatisation.
Breakdown by Criteria
Policies related to supplies and counselling
- Reimbursement
✔️Reimbursement within the national health system
❌Special reimbursement for adolescents (until 19)
❌Special Reimbursement for vulnerable groups (unemployed/low income)
- Counselling
✔️Available, accessible, and affordable consultation
✔️No need for third-party consent
✔️Legal status (marital, citizenship) is not a barrier
- Prescription requirements
✔️Availability of emergency contraception without prescription
✔️Availability of self-administered hormonal contraception without prescription
Availability of online information
- Type of online information
Website provided by goverment supported standalone website
❌Number of contraceptives - weak
❌Info on costs of contraceptives
❌Info on where to get contraceptives
- User friendliness
❌Regional or minority language included
✔️Web design
✔️Discoverability of the website
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