ZAGREB, March 5, 2019 - The Autism Centre, built and equipped with funds from the local and state budgets, was opened in the eastern city of Osijek on Tuesday.
Opening the centre, which cost more than 20 million kuna (2.7 million euro), Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Minister Nada Murganić said that the purpose of the centre was to enable the integration of children with autism-related disorders into the education system and provide autistic adolescents with other social services and help in their social integration.
She noted that there was a shortage of professionals specialising in work with children with autistic disorders.
Science and Education Minister Blaženka Divjak said that there were currently around 30,000 students with disabilities in the primary and secondary school system and that around 87% of them attended school regularly.
Divjak said that the Osijek centre provided pre-school and primary education.
The centre's head, Sandra Zlatarić, said that a total of 26 children currently attended the centre's activities.
She said that the opening of the centre was of historic importance because until now there had been no systematic care for persons with autism-related disorders in Osijek and the Slavonia region.
Osijek-Baranja County head Ivan Anušić said that the centre would provide services not only for children from Slavonia and elsewhere in Croatia but also from some of the neighbouring countries.
More news on the health issues in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.
