The Neurology Clinic of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital is becoming a reference center for epilepsy

The Ministry of Health has designated the Neurology Clinic of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital as the reference center for the preoperative evaluation of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The decision was signed by the Minister, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sci. Irena Hrstić, MD, and published in Official Gazette No. 118/2026 on October 16, 2026, under document number 1409. The assigned title of reference center is valid for five years.

What the decision determines

The decision consists of two points. The first designates the Neurology Clinic of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital as the Ministry of Health’s reference center for the preoperative evaluation of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The second point grants the institution the title “Ministry of Health Reference Center for the Preoperative Evaluation of Patients with Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy” for a period of five years.

The decision was made in an administrative procedure initiated at the request of the hospital itself, bearing classification UP/I-510-01/26-01/04 and registry number 534-06-2-2/3-26-11, dated in Zagreb, September 24, 2026. It was signed by the Minister of Health, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sci. Irena Hrstić, MD, in her own name and with the mark “v. r.” (signed).

Legal basis and procedure

• Applicant: Dubrava Clinical Hospital, headquartered in Zagreb, Avenija Gojka Šuška 6, OIB: 32206148371
• Deciding body: Ministry of Health, OIB: 88362248492
• Legal basis: Article 143, paragraphs 2 and 9 of the Health Care Act (“Official Gazette” No. 100/18, 125/19, 147/20, 119/22, 156/22, 33/23, 36/24, and 102/25)
• Procedural basis: Article 96, paragraph 1 of the General Administrative Procedure Act (“Official Gazette” No. 47/09 and 110/21)
• Proposal: National Health Council, from the session held on July 22, 2026.
• Duration of title: five years

From the structure of the decision, it is evident that this is an act that does not establish a new institution or department, but rather recognizes the status of an existing clinic as a reference center within the network managed by the relevant ministry. The procedure was conducted upon the hospital’s request, with a prior opinion from the ministry’s advisory body.

Series of decisions on reference centers

This decision is part of a series of similar decisions published by the Ministry of Health over the last three months. The same formulation of the legal basis, the same reference to the National Health Council session of July 22, 2026, and the same five-year term are repeated in decisions published in Official Gazette No. 95/2026, 101/2026, and 117/2026.

Therefore, this is a systematic filling of the network of reference centers by specific hospital clinics and institutes, rather than an isolated act. In all cases so far, the title is granted for five years, meaning that the status acquired by this decision will be subject to re-evaluation in 2031.

What the status means for patients

Preoperative evaluation is the phase in which it is determined whether a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy is a candidate for surgical treatment and which method is appropriate. The assignment of reference center status specifically for this segment directs patients with the most severe form of epilepsy to the Clinic for Neurology of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital, instead of such cases being handled at the level of general neurology departments.

For the hospital, this means formal recognition of a specialized team and equipment, and for patients, a clearly defined destination within the public health system. For the system, it means that the most complex part of the evaluation is concentrated in one place, with the obligation to maintain that status over a five-year period.

The decision was published in the official gazette and thereby became part of the publicly available legal order, meaning that both the referring institutions and the patients themselves can refer to it.

Source: »Narodne novine«, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia, no. 118/2026, Zagreb, October 16, 2026, document 1409 – Decision by which the Clinic for Neurology of the Dubrava Clinical Hospital is designated as the »Reference Center of the Ministry of Health for the preoperative evaluation of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy«; class UP/I-510-01/26-01/04, reg. no. 534-06-2-2/3-26-11, Zagreb, September 24, 2026; signatory: Minister Asst. Prof. Dr. Sc. Irena Hrstić, MD.