The World Bank Helps Improve the Speed and Quality of
Emergency Medical Services in Croatia
Contacts:
In Croatia: Vanja Frajtic +385 1 2357 297
vrajtic@worldbank.org

In Washington: Michael Jones (1-202) 473-2588
mjones2@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, September 30, 2008 – The World Bank today approved a EUR18 million (USD$28.3 million equivalent) loan to Croatia aimed at
delivering faster and better emergency medical care. The Development of Emergency Medical Services and Investment Planning Project (DEMSIPP) will
equip medical personnel with tools to respond more rapidly to emergency calls, ultimately saving more lives.

The project will also help the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to develop and implement strategic projects, enabling the health sector to take
advantage of financing from the European Union. More specifically, the project will also help to improve internal efficiency and emergency care outcomes.

The project will consist of two components:

Component 1 – Development of Emergency Medical Services will focus on modernizing the emergency medical services to ensure quicker
responsiveness, improve the efficiency, and deliver higher quality services to people in need.

Component 2 – Institutional Support to Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will focus on enhancing the Ministry’s planning and managerial
capacities with the aim of providing more efficient and higher quality services. In addition, the component will help the Ministry prepare for absorption of
EU pre-accession and accession funds.
“This project is of great importance to the people of Croatia as it will significantly reduce the time it takes by medical teams to respond to life-
    threatening situations,” said Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, World Bank Country Director for Croatia, “particularly in underserved areas, with
    appropriately trained and equipped medical teams. The project will also support the development of a strategy to reorganize existing networks of
    medical service providers for greater efficiency, as well as capacity building for the preparation of projects financed through the EU or other funds
    once Croatia becomes a member country. We are very pleased that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has chosen the World Bank to be a
    partner in this quest to improve the lives of the people of Croatia. We support the efforts of the Government to improve the delivery of services as
    well as ensuring the financial sustainability of the system.”

Since joining the World Bank in 1993, Croatia has received support from the global development institution in the form of financial and technical
assistance, policy advice, and analytical services. To date, the Bank has offered support for 38 operations with a total value of US$2.3 billion, and it has
approved 50 grants with a total value of US$6 million.
The program in Croatia is part of the World Bank’s broader strategy to tackle the unique challenges faced by Middle Income Countries (MICs). In addition
to improving lending terms last year to make loans at better than market rates, the Bank is engaging MICs by sharing experiences from other countries,
and helping to address complex issues like environmentally sustainable development, how to create a competitive education system, and judicial and
pension reform.

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                                              For more information about the World Bank's work in Croatia, visit
                                                                     www.worldbank.hr