Dom zdravlja Zagreb - Centar

Dom zdravlja Zagreb - Centar (DZZC) is a public primary healthcare institution and the largest health center in Croatia. Owned and established by the City of Zagreb in 2002 through the merger of several predecessor institutions, DZZC is responsible for ensuring accessible, continuous, and integrated healthcare for approximately 350,000 residents across Zagreb. The institution operates across 64 locations throughout the city, employing 909 staff members and coordinating 315 contracted healthcare teams from 19 distinct medical specialties.

DZZC is not a private clinic but a public healthcare institution funded through the Croatian public health insurance system. Its services span both primary and specialist-consultative care, making it one of the most comprehensive public health providers in the country. Three pharmacies operate within the DZZC network, serving patients at selected locations.

Primary Healthcare Services

The foundation of DZZC's activity is primary healthcare. The largest single service is family medicine, delivered by 103 general practitioner teams distributed across the city. Family medicine at DZZC also serves an academic role: the institution hosts the seat of the Department of Family Medicine and plays a leading part in the scientific, educational, and professional development of the specialty.

Alongside family medicine, primary care at DZZC encompasses pediatrics (preschool and school-age child health protection), gynecology (women's health), polyvalent dental healthcare, emergency dental care, home nursing (patronage health protection), palliative care, and a medical biochemistry laboratory. This breadth of primary services means that most routine healthcare needs of Zagreb residents can be addressed within the DZZC network without referral to secondary or tertiary facilities.

Dental Healthcare

Dental services at DZZC operate under two categories: standard polyvalent dental healthcare covering preventive, restorative, and basic prosthetic treatments, and emergency dental care for urgent cases. Orthodontics and periodontology are offered at the specialist-consultative level, providing more advanced dental care within the same public healthcare network. DZZC dental services are provided through contracted dentists integrated into the city-wide primary care system and covered under Croatian public health insurance.

Specialist and Consultative Care

DZZC's specialist-consultative department covers a wide range of medical disciplines, allowing patients to receive specialist opinions and procedures within the public network after referral from their family practitioner. Specialties available include internal medicine, dermatology and venereology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, psychiatry, psychology, speech therapy and defectology (including neurofeedback), ophthalmology, orthodontics, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), radiology, cytology, diagnostics, and periodontology. The breadth of this specialist offering reflects DZZC's role as the primary healthcare backbone of Croatia's capital city.

Occupational Medicine and Systematic Checkups

DZZC operates a dedicated occupational medicine service providing mandatory workplace health assessments and medical examinations for drivers, athletes, security personnel, and other regulated professions. Systematic preventive checkups are available for a range of population groups, supporting early detection and health monitoring across the city's workforce and general population.

Advisory Services and Special Programs

The institution runs several specialist advisory centers, including a center for healthy child growth and development, a nutrition advisory center, and a pharmacotherapy advisory center. A SIM (simulation) center supports medical training and continuing education. DZZC has also participated in various EU-funded projects focusing on professional development of physicians and active healthy aging.

Location and Access

Dom zdravlja Zagreb - Centar serves patients across 64 sites throughout Zagreb, making it accessible to residents in all parts of the city. Services are available through the Croatian public health insurance system (HZZO). Patients access DZZC services primarily through referral from contracted family practitioners and can find service locations, duty rosters, and appointment information at dzz-centar.hr.

Scale and Organisational Structure

DZZC's organisational scale distinguishes it clearly from any private provider. With 909 employees operating across 64 locations, it functions less like a single clinic and more like a distributed municipal health system. The institution manages a complex administrative structure encompassing legal, financial, HR, IT, occupational safety, and technical services alongside its clinical departments. Governance is overseen by a management board and a council body, with regular meetings and published decisions ensuring institutional accountability to the City of Zagreb as the founding owner.

The 315 contracted healthcare teams operating within DZZC represent both directly employed staff and contracted independent practitioners who work within the DZZC network under agreements with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). This hybrid model is typical of Croatian primary care and allows DZZC to extend its geographic reach across the city's neighborhoods without operating every team from a centrally managed facility.

Patient Portal and Digital Access

Patients registered with DZZC practitioners can access health records and documentation through the Croatian eHealth patient portal, Portal zdravlja, which is integrated with the national e-Gradani (e-Citizens) digital identity system. This digital infrastructure allows patients to review prescriptions, referrals, and test results online, reducing administrative burdens on both patients and clinical staff. Information on duty rosters, service availability, waiting lists, and news is published on the official DZZC website at dzz-centar.hr, providing transparency about service access across the network.