A European Ministerial Conference on Mental Health was held on 12-15 January 2005 in Helsinki.  On behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Republic of Croatia, the state secretary Prof. Dr Velimir Bozikov, and Pr Vlasta Hrabak‑Zerjavic, MD, MSc attended.  In closing, the Conference passed a Declaration on Mental Health in Europe emphasising the importance of promotion of mental health, prevention, rehabilitation and medical care for mental disorders and diseases. 

CNIPH has taken part in the working out of implemental documents relating to the UN Convention on the Abolition of Every Form of Discrimination of Women.  In conformity with the Constitution, this international agreement was concluded and confirmed as part of the internal rule of law and given greater legal force than laws.  For the health care area, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives submitted data on women’s health care and women’s health in Croatia.  It relates to the health care provided to women generally, female sex health, childbirths at health institutions, abortions and contraception.  A review of female mortality contains figures on malignant diseases, cardiovascular diseases and AIDS.  Also referred to is the data on the prevalence of smoking, insufficient physical activity and nutritional habits, as well as on the sex distribution of the health work force by educational profiles.

CNIPH has drafted a Health Care Measures Programme Proposal for primary health care, special‑consulting health care, and for state institutes of health, defining and suggesting health care measures by their priorities and methods of financing.  Under the proposal, the measures proposed for inclusion into compulsory health insurance would be paid for from the Compulsory Health Insurance Scheme, with supplemental programme being financed from extra funds by an insurance company; as to special programmes, other sources (employers, local self‑government bodies, ministries of justice, education etc.) would finance them.  The principal co‑ordinator of the Programme of Measures elaboration is the Social Medicine Service, with all other CNIPH’s services participating both in its elaboration and in co‑ordination.  The work on this new Health Care Measures Programme began last autumn.  Among other, it included many meetings and contacts between the CNIPH staff and the representatives of more than 50 professional societies, chambers and other technical associations who have given their opinions or amendment proposals.  In February, the Programme of Measures is due to appear before professional chambers, Croatian Health Insurance Administration and all interested parties for their opinion.

A draft Action Plan for Romanies for the decade 2005-15 with activity details for 2005 was submitted to the Office on Ethnic Minorities and to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

As part of the Croatian‑Swedish collaboration on a joint governmental statistics development project, meetings took place involving Swedish consultants and statistical data producers and users with regard to gender statistics.  At a special meeting, Social Medicine Service representatives showed the Swedish National Bureau of Statistics representatives the types of research run by CNIPH in the health statistical area in Croatia.  In most cases, our statistics includes gender data as well.  Given the widening circle of users, data presentation method is also important in ensuring correct interpretation of data.  We have illustrated this problem with mortality, morbidity, inpatient care utilisation, and health service workforce information.  

Prompted by some articles and a debate on food additives, CNIPH’s professionals have sent the media a statement that we transmit here too, “In regard of lists of additives and of the allowed use of food additives, Croatian regulations are fully harmonised with EU regulations and with the basic principles of the World Health Organization (Codex Alimentarius).  Neither the types of additives nor their applications in Croatia differ from those in use in any country of the European Union.  

The regulations on which the assessment of conformity and legality of the use of additives is based were harmonised with the EU legislation in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004, so following all changes that have taken place in the EU legislation.

It should also be known that neither the EU nor Croatia considers food additives a consumer health risk.  Precisely because of their adding to food being intentional, the additives that are added into food are under constant surveillance, monitoring and control.  Therefore, there is no reason to cause panic among the consumers, or to lay allegations against certain manufacturers and products.  Participants in the drawing up of food additive regulations are professionals from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Croatian Chamber of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and associations of individual branches within food industry.  In addition, the use of additives in food is subject to laboratory analyses, with the food that does not meet Croatian regulatory requirements being withdrawn from the market, regardless of whether it has been manufactured in Croatia or abroad.  As in this regard no compromises are made, there is no reason either for creating panic among food consumers or manufacturers.  Furthermore, articles about a health threat to Croatian consumers arising from the consumption of foods containing disallowed and harmful food additives are groundless and unproven.  Finally, scaring the consumers is considered as harmful as pointing at individual food manufacturers or individual products, purporting that they contain the additives that cause some diseases.”