Health tourism plans for Hvar, Croatia

Costal view of Hvar, Croatia

The Hvar Health Centre is set to offer healthcare services to not only the residents of this popular Dalmatian island, but also visitors as part of plans to develop health tourism.

The Hvar Health Centre is planned to be built on a part of the land owned by the Republic of Croatia, and will include a spa hotel with a clinic and a rehabilitation centre. This would offer primary healthcare for inhabitants of Hvar, and specialist healthcare for the inhabitants of the entire island.

Croatia sees much potential in health tourism, with the tourism ministry including the sector as part of its plans for the development of sustainable tourism.  It sees Hvar as a strong candidate for investment in health tourism.

Steward Health Care International has been suggested as a future partner in the Hvar Health Centre project, but their exact role has not been clarified.

Steward Health Care is one of the largest physician-led, privately held hospital operators and integrated health care providers in the USA. It operates 37 community hospitals in the USA and Malta, and has recently bought three hospitals in Colombia.  The Malta deal has been subject to much controversy and in country criticism, including on-going legal actions in Malta and the UK.

This year’s number of tourist arrivals in Croatia increased by 57% compared to 2020 according to the Croatian Ministry of Tourism. Croatia has recorded 2 million tourist arrivals for the first half of 2021. Most tourists in the first six months came from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Poland.