December 4, 2019 - Bagatin Clinic puts Croatia firmly on the global medical tourism map in Berlin after being named International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year at the prestigious IMTJ 2019 awards. 

A magnificent achievement for Croatian medical tourism last night, as the country's leading clinic, Bagatin, won big at the prestigious IMTJ 2019 awards in Berlin. Organised by the team behind International Medical Travel Journal, the annual awards are the most important in the medical tourism industry, and there was physical representation from an impressive 45 countries at last night's ceremony. 

But while winning the title of the world's best International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year was the highlight of Bagatin's trip to IMTJ 2019, it was by no means the only one. 

Earlier in the conference, Bagatin Clinic became the first clinic in Croatia and only the 65th in the world to receive the coveted TEMOS Accreditation - in the fields of Medical Tourism Excellence and Quality of International Patient Care. CEO Ognjen Bagatin and Business Development Manager Andrea Stipanic were on hand to accept the accreditations. 

Ognjen Bagatin also gave one of the most inspiring presentations of IMTJ 2019, telling his story of how he grew his clinic from a small operation consisting of just him and his two cosmetic surgeon brothers with a turnover of just 30,000 euro offering just aesthetic surgery in 2008, to over 100 employees in 2018 and revenues of 5.5 million euro with four departments (and 120 employees in 2019). 

I have followed the Croatian medical tourism industry closely over the last two years, but IMTJ 2019 was the first time I had seen Bagatin on the global stage, and I was curious to see how a leading Croatian clinic would compare to the global heavyweights. Not only did Bagatin rub shoulders with the best of them, but there were many learning from Bagatin and his best practices. One of the IMTJ judges even commented that the clinic is probably the best global case study for best practices of a clinic. 

The excellent conference over, it was time for the big night - the annual awards dinner. The Croatian delegation was small, the two Bagatin heroes, Alfred Frankovic from Kvarner Health Cluster, and one fat Brit who wore Bagatin's lucky Croatian tie for the occasion. 

And we did not have long to wait for recognition, with Bagatin Clinic a finalist in the category of Best Quality Initiative. 

No victory in that category, but the sweet taste of success was soon to come, as the winner of the International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year was announced - Bagatin Clinic! It was an honour to be sitting in the front row and to record the moment above. 

A huge milestone for the Croatian medical tourism industry, and a huge recognition of the efforts of the entire BagaTEAM.  

A quick chat with the charismatic CEO a few minutes after the award. 

Wonderful stuff - congratulations to the entire BagaTEAM, proof that with the right leadership and plan, Croatia can compete with the very best in the global medical tourism industry. I sometimes compare Ognjen Bagatin to Luka Modric, the midfield dynamo who keeps the Croatian medical tourism industry buzzing. Unlike Modric and the heroics of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, young Ognjen left for Zagreb this morning with his World Cup firmly in his hand.  

The award is timely for Bagatin and Croatia, as it will shift more focus on the Croatian medical tourism industry. That interest will intensify in March next year, as Bagatin Clinic, together with collaborative international presenter, Cleveland Clinic, will host Europe's first-ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress in Dubrovnik. You can learn more about EPIC 2020 on the official website.  

For the latest news on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

December 2, 2019 - Everyone is invited to the third Adria Business Network, organized by entrepreneurs Željka Barišić and Kristina Krstinić, which will be held on December 18, 2019, at 6 pm at the Bagatin Clinic, located at Avenija grada Vukovara 269 G / 2nd floor.

In the first part of the event, the guest lecturer, director of the Bagatin Clinic, Ognjen Bagatin, will share how, in just a few years, his family business has grown to 120 employees working in three locations. Bagatin will also touch on the questions:

- Why has the Deloitte Polyclinic been listed as one of the fastest-growing SMEs in healthcare? 

- What are all the skills and knowledge you need to get a healthcare institution to the top of Croatian and European brands? 

- Why are all employees of the Bagatin Clinic educated continuously and working on their professional and personal development? 

- What does the term conscious leadership include, and why does the leader of the Bagatin Clinic Ognjen Bagatin worship all his mistakes?

The second part of the event includes a one-minute pitch by all attendees.

At the end of the lecture, in an informal gathering with top-quality wine and the prosciutto of Delicatessen Prtenjača, the attendees will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with the guest lecturer and other participants.

The answers to all these questions, and a closer look into the entrepreneurial mindset, can be found at the Adria Business Network pre-Christmas event, directly from Ognjen Bagatin, who will welcome everyone interested in his into his company.

But that’s not all. This Adria Business Network event also has a humanitarian touch. Namely, the profit from ticket sales will go to the blind and partially sighted residents of the Center for Education "Vinko Bek" in Zagreb!

Why not do good for others while doing good for yourself? 

Tickets for the event can be found here. 

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 17, 2019 - Black Peel Mask treatments come to Croatia, as Bagatin Clinic extends its message to Argentina. 

The more I write about Croatia and the longer I live here, the more amazing successes and untold stories I discover. While many are emigrating and complaining of the lack of opportunity, I find that the opposite is true, but there is a reason for that disconnect. 

Very few people are telling their stories or sharing their success. 

One exception to this is Mate Rimac, of the phenomenally successful Rimac Automobili. Pictured about at the Entrepreneurial Mindset conference in Zagreb, where many of Croatia's top entrepreneurial names shared strories of their successes - and failures - in an inspirational day for budding entrepreneurs in Croatia. Just listening to both the speakers and the participants talking about their businesses made me realise just how much positivity and success there was in Croatia. 

If only people knew about it all... 

It is the same with the Croatian medical tourism industry. I was recently asked to speak at the Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference in Selce, with the topic of giving my reflections as a foreign resident and journalist on the potential and the reality of Croatian medical health tourism. While it was an honour to be invited, I was a little surprised. My knowledge of the medical tourism is limited, but on reflection, I realised that the pool of medical tourism journalists in general is very limited.  

And not just in Croatia, but on a global level, which is surprising for such a major - and rapidly expanding - tourism niche. It was more than a big surprise for TCN to win an award at the inaugural Medical Travel Media Awards in Kuala Lumpur, for example. 

The fact is that there are very few people focusing on writing or telling the stories - at least the positive ones. Bad news sells much better than good news, but the less good news that is told, the less people will know about it. That is why I am ultimately very positive about Croatia's future, as I can see that the seeds being planted are very positive - we just need to tell people more about it. 

And so too with the medical tourism industry. 

The best promotion, of course, is by word of mouth from a happy client, especially testimonials which appear online in the form of a well-written story. I have written before about Carl's Story, which remains to me the absolute best advert from Croatian tourism - medical or otherwise - especially as it took place out of season. An American citizen whose life was literally transformed by a trip to Bagatin Clinic in Zagreb, where his complete new set of teeth inserted during 10 days over Advent in Zagreb not only gave him the trip of a lifetime and complete self-confidence, but also saved him about $35,000 once the trip costs for him and his friend had been paid. It is one of the best stories I have come across, and I encourage you to read it. 

Bagatin Clinic is not only the leading clinic in the region, but also the best at telling its story - one of the reasons it has won prestigious international marketing awards. And so it was somehow no surprise to learn from my Facebook feed this morning that Bagatin is now offering Black Peel Mask treatments in Croatia - information I learned from a health portal in Argentina.  

Bagatin is keen to tell the world not just about its own services, but also to raise awareness of the potential of Croatian health tourism in general. A giant step for a small clinic will be taken in March, when Bagatin Clinic, with collaborative international partner, Cleveland Clinic, will host the first ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress, EPIC 2020, to be held in Dubrovnik in March. You can learn more from the official website. 

Now THAT will be quite a story to tell. 

For more on the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

October 25, 2019 - During a recent TCN interview with global medical tourism expert, Dr Prem Jagyasi, Croatia's leading Bagatin Clinic was mentioned several times. After the interview, I asked Dr Prem to tell us a little more about Bagatin and its standing on the global stage. 

It is just over two years since I became aware of Croatia's medical tourism industry. My introduction was a chap called Ognjen Bagatin, who messaged me on Facebook one evening. I had no idea who he was, but he was very polite and complimentary about my work, which has said he had been following for a number of years. 

A few days later we met at his clinic in Zagreb, a very modern and well-equipped affair, with superbly trained staff. Was I really in Croatia? He encouraged me to visit some other medical tourism facilities of excellence, which is how I came to do tours of Svjetlost Eye Clinic and St Catherine Specialty Hospital, a member of the Leading Hospitals of the World.

I was stunned. Here was a tourism industry where the very best seemingly could compete with some of the best in Europe. I got writing and Health Tourism is Coming Home: Why Zagreb is the Next Big Medical Tourism Destination was born. 

I started attending health tourism conferences, wrote a lot more and even won a medical tourism media award in Malaysia. 

And wherever I went, Bagatin Clinic was already there - at conferences, award ceremonies (such as Best Dermatology Clinic in Europe, above, for example). With my limited knowledge of the global market, it was hard to know just how good Bagatin was outside Croatia, and how the clinic compared with its European competition, but it was clearly doing an excellent job. 

At this week's 3rd Adriatic Health, Sport & Tourism Investment Forum, international keynote speaker Dr Prem Jagyasi was kind enough to find time for a TCN interview. During our chat, Dr Prem mentioned Bagatin several times when giving examples of excellence. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to satisfy my curiosity - how was Bagatin Clinic perceived within the industry outside Croatia? 

(Dr Prem with Team Bagatin - Ognjen Bagatin, Tea Hitner and Andrea Stipanic)

Bagatin is bringing the first patient experience conference to Europe in March, which will be held in Dubrovnik, with Cleveland Clinic. To me this is an amazing thing that one clinic can lead like this.

Not only that but Bagatin Clinic has put so much investment into capacity building, educating their team and also many others in the industry. This patient experience conference clearly shows that a private clinic or hospital can bring so much value to the brand of Croatia. 

They have won many awards for their marketing and treatments, and I have personally visited their centre in Zagreb. The quality, the focus, the design – it is just incredible. I think they could be a perfect case study for other private hospitals and clinics on a global scale. 

You have travelled the medical tourism world and seen many countries in action. Is there a similar example of a private clinic like Bagatin which is so far ahead and really dragging the rest of the brand along with it. 

Not one clinic like Bagatin, no. There have been some hospitals who have arranged conferences, but nothing like Bagatin. And this patient experience conference will be great. It is the Bagatin relationship with Cleveland Clinic which will also see Cleveland involved. 

One thing you will always notice about Bagatin is that they never just talk about their own clinic, but they are always talking about Croatia in general, talking about the wellbeing of patients. And they do capacity building brilliantly. I really do think that the government does need to acknowledge and support such clinics for the efforts they are making. There are perhaps some examples of larger hospitals doing similar things, but for a small clinic like Bagatin, it is unique. 

When did you first become aware of Bagatin Clinic, and tell us about the progress you have seen since that first meeting?

I met CEO Ognjen Bagatin several years ago. I have seen the clinic participating in international conferences in places like the USA for a long time now. I have listened to Ognjen speaking at many conferences all over the world. He talks about how his clinic evolved and became a leader, and how other clinics can also become leaders. 

They are creating a beautiful case study which is a combination of three things: expertise in medicine, expertise in business, and utlising talent. I remember some members of Bagatin were in one of my workshops, and it was noticeable how engaged they were, and how eager to ask questions. They were very active, wanting to learn and improve. Bagatin has created a great working culture. 

All this encouraged me to go and visit them in Zagreb. Ognjen was kind enough to show me every procedure room. The entire space was beautifully designed with open spaces and lots of natural light. Every single element was very well thought out. 

I later researched the clinic and could see the quality of service they provide and the code of ethics. They have developed a brilliant strategy, and when I listen to him speak, he not only talks about the services he offers, but how Bagatin can contribute to help other clinics, both inside Croatia and elsewhere. I am always happy to see them at conferences. 

You obviously have a more global viewpoint than me. I can see that Bagatin is at the top of Croatian medical tourism healthcare, but where would you, with your knowledge and experience, put Bagatin Clinic on a European level?

Bagatin is, in my opinion, close to the very top in Europe. I have been recently to some excellent centres in Paris and Munich, and there are many excellent clinics. However, one issue which I see with clinics in more traditional European destinations is that they rarely have a great marketing strategy. 

European medical tourism destinations build up their facilities, but they are not quite as good at getting their message out there. That is one area where I would put Bagatin at the very top – they really do have the best marketing I have come across in Europe. And of course, the quality of care and service that follows is excellent. This is where Bagatin excels where many European centres failing – reaching out. They do it brilliantly. 

In terms of quality of services, they are on the level of some of the best European clinics, but in terms of packaging of the whole product – outstanding. Their support services are very impressive, including a great international patient support desk. 

And they are setting up a great case study of excellence for other health tourism clinics to follow. The main components are quality, aesthetic design, transparency which they have, ethics and a code of conduct, international standards of customer service, an international patient desk and marketing office, and capacity building. And finally their branding and marketing, for which they have rightly won many awards. 

Such clinics are essential to build the reputation of a destination, as governments alone cannot do everything. But I really do congratulate everyone at Bagatin Clinic – they are doing a wonderful service for Croatia.

You can learn more of Dr Prem's visit to Bagatin Clinic from his blog.

To learn more about the services of Bagatin Clinic, visit the official website. 

To follow the latest from the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

October 1, 2019 - More international recognition for Bagatin Clinic from Zagreb and Split, which continues to raise the bar in Croatian medical tourism. 

It is about two years since I first became aware of the Croatian medical tourism industry, and I must confess I find its dynamics fascinating. That initial discovery of the excellence of St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, one of the Leading Hospitals of the World, Svjetlost Eye Clinic, and Bagatin Clinic was an impressive window into an area of tourism where Croatia has the potential to punch above its weight on the global stage and attract lucrative tourism 12-months a year. You can read my initial discoveries in Health Tourism is Coming Home: Why Zagreb is the Next Big Medical Tourism Destination.

Over that two-year period, it did not take long to figure out which was the most active and successful clinic in Croatia, as well as the most effective at promoting internationally not just itself, but Croatian medical tourism in general - Bagatin Clinic. 

It is a great story of three brothers, two of them surgeons, one not. But what Ognjen Bagatin may have lacked in his brothers' skills with the knife, he has more than made up with in terms of running the family business, which has enjoyed phenomenal growth and success in recent years, including opening up on the Adriatic coast for the first time earlier this year in Split. 

With a key focus on dentistry, plastic surgery, dermatology and cosmetic treatments, Bagatin Clinic has been slowly expanding its client base internationally, including what is - for me at least - perhaps the most inspiring story and advert for Croatian tourism I have come across - read Carl's story and his life-changing visit to Zagreb from the United States, while saving tens of thousands of dollars in the process.  

And the international awards followed, including being voted the best dermatology clinic in all Europe last year - see above. 

Arguably the most prestigious awards in the medical tourism industry, however, are the annual International Medical Travel Journal Awards, which this year will take place in Berlin in December. 

For the third year running, Bagatin Clinic has been nominated, this time for two awards in the international category - Best Aesthetic Surgery and Best Marketing Initiative, according to a recent Facebook post from CEO Bagatin. 

The nominations are the latest recognition for the dynamic clinic, which is also doing more than any other to develop Croatia's medical tourism industry, with Ognjen Bagatin tirelessly on the road to networking and developing strategies. The fruits of one such endeavour paid dividends in Cleveland last week, as Bagatin's close relationship with the world-famous Cleveland Clinic has resulted in Bagatin Clinic announcing the first-ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Conference, which will include participation from international presenter, Cleveland Clinic, to take place in Dubrovnik in March. 

If there was an IMTJ category for promoting the country's medical tourism potential, there would be few to rival Bagatin Clinic. We will bring you the results from Berlin as they arrive in December. 

To follow the Croatian medical tourism story, follow our dedicated TCN section. 

September 23, 2019 - A huge boost for the profile of Croatia's medical tourism industry, as Bagatin Clinic announces the first European Patient Experience & Innovation conference, to be held in Dubrovnik. 

Last year I was invited to a press conference at St Catherine Specialty Hospital in Zagreb, one of the Leading Hospitals in the World. I was more than impressed when I learned that the reason for the conference was the announcement of a partnership between the Croatian hospital and OneOne, co-founded by Mayo Clinic, to become the first European partner to make available in Europe the revolutionary RightMed pharmacogenetic test. You can read more about that here. 

A Croatian hospital, the only place in Europe where this groundbreaking test was available. Impressive. And a partner of a project co-founded by Mayo Clinic. Prestigious. 

And just as Mayo Clinic is one of the top names in global healthcare excellence, so too is Cleveland Clinic. 

And Cleveland Clinic is also coming to Croatia with a European first... 

On March 19-20, 2020, to be exact. Croatian medical tourism pioneer Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of leading regional clinic, Bagatin Clinic, announced from Cleveland the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Conference, to be held at Valamar Lacroma Hotel in Dubrovnik, organised by Bagatin Clinic with collaborative international presenter, Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic hosts its own patient experience programme each year, and this will be the first of its kind in Europe. 

The relationship between Croatia and Cleveland Clinic is not new and is one which has been personally fostered by Bagatin, whose efforts to learn from the best are bringing international ideas and expertise to the Croatian medical tourism industry. Bagatin was responsible for bringing Joe Sweet, Cleveland Clinic's International Patient Experience Director to Zagreb earlier this year to speak at the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference. TCN interviewed Sweet (you can read the interview here) where he explained how why he had come to Croatia:

Firstly, our CEO Tom Mihaljevic is Croatian. But actually the reason I am here is driven by Ognjen Bagatin of Bagatin Clinic who came to see us in Cleveland to learn about the patient experience and our Patients First initiative. I met with him almost a year ago now, and we really hit it off from that first lunch we had together. I learned more about his personality, his drive and what he is trying to achieve. That was very impressive. And then this opportunity came up with Euro Events to come over and share our story, and Ognjen really connected that, making it happen.

We are interested in spreading the news of who we are and what we do and forming those connections around the world. So we see this as an opportunity to do that, to get out there and build more of those relationships.

We will bring you more details of the conference as it develops, but in the meantime, you can catch the latest from the Croatian medical tourism story in our dedicated section. 

June 8, 2019 - Customer service and the concept of soft skills are sadly not things for which Croatia is well-known for, but there are attempts to change this as Sara Bukic from the innovative Bagatin Academy explains. 

Arguably the most dynamic clinic in the Croatian medical tourism sector is Bagatin Clinic, which has two facilities in Zagreb and recently also opened in Split. Named as the best clinic in Europe for dermatology as just one example of its international credentials, the Bagatin philosophy is a lot more all-inclusive than one would perhaps expect in business in Croatia. Education, education, education. A look at what is happening behing the scenes at a rather successful project of education for the Croatian healthcare system, best explained in an interview with Sara Bukic from Bagatin Academy.

1. Bagatin Clinic is known as one of the most progressive and successful clinics in the Adria region, but it may come as a surprise to many to learn about the sister project, the Bagatin Academy. Tell us about the Academy project and how it came about?

Bagatin Academy is an educational project very dear to my heart. In 2015, the board of Bagatin Clinic recognized the need for soft skills/people skills development in the medical sector so we launched an educational cycle for our employees, starting in September and ending next year in April, covering topics of communication, empathy, presentation skills and hospitality.

We often emphasize that we have the best medical staff who are frequently attending professional seminars and congresses in the field of their own expertise, but no medical educational institution has, for example, communication and leadership classes. In our opinion this set of skills is of great importance. Imagine this: you have two doctors who are both equally highly professional but one of them is kind to his patients, understanding, walking them through entire process etc. and the other one is snappish and makes patients feel like a number, not like a person. Which one would you go to?    

2. The educational concepts covered in the Academy may be standard practice. Place the Academy in the Croatian context - why was there such a need for it?

There are examples of poor communication practices in both public and private health care sphere, but the private health sector will persist only if there is a communication level appropriate for the client. It is important that we provide the client with the quality service they want and need.

As I mentioned earlier, schools and universities do not have classes in which our students would develop soft skills from the early days. That goes for medical faculties/universities as well. So, one of our long-term goals is that the system recognizes these skills as inevitable for the future of medicine and brings in similar courses as compulsory classes. I don`t think this is a challenge only in Croatia, but here is where we work and live and that is why we start with the change here. The programs and concepts covered in Bagatin Academy should really be a standard practice everywhere and we hope this will come true. We want to equalize the level of service quality in both the private and the public health sector. 

3. The Academy project was obviously not something together overnight, but involves many partners and planning. Tell us a little about that.  

I have the great pleasure of working with one of the greatest visionaries in the region. The idea was sparkling in the minds of our board members for a long time and they knew if they wanted to make a difference, they needed to abide by a very famous quote “if you want to change the world, start by changing yourself”. We are very happy that Bagatin Academy`s initiatives were recognized by the Croatian Medical Chamber and the Croatian Chamber of Nurses who have been supporting us since day one. They gave added value to Academy’s attendees by giving awarding points that doctors and nurses collect for their licenses. The support from the Chambers for us is a sign the system also recognizes the importance and the value of this kind of workshops.

Medical University of Zagreb, Medical University of Split and University of Dental Medicine also supported us by trusting us with their students who are the future of Croatian health care. Of course, nothing would be possible without our great educators and trainers who are sharing their knowledge in the field of people skills. We are collaborating with highly experienced professionals from all over Croatia who are using practical methods to teach people skills and we’re very grateful they joined us in this initiative within our health system. 

4. Who are the main clients, and what are they looking to get out of their relationship with the Academy?

Our main clients are doctors, medical nurses and technicians, auxiliary medical staff, people working in the medical sector, reception and call center staff; all the people you can find working in any kind of health institution, and of course, the future of Croatian health system, medical students.All attendees of our workshops are looking to raise the Croatian health care system to a higher level that provides more than just another series of treatments to users. There is a word “care” in health care but we often can`t find it. This is why we want the health care system to be: high expertise, kindness, giving and truly caring.   

5. How would you assess the success of the project so far? What are the main achievements?

Allegedly, Vincent van Gogh once said: “Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together.” That is exactly how I would assess the success so far. You have to understand that the idea of ​improving Croatian health care into a fantastic and successful story, which would result in placing Croatia at the center of medical tourism map, is a big venture. Let's put it this way, if a man who is accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle suddenly decides that he wants to run the standard marathon of about 42 kilometers, he will certainly not get up from his armchair and immediately run those 42 kilometers. Every day in which he prepares for the great race, every day in which he does not give up and he still trains with all the effort, that is exactly his great achievement and a step closer to the goal.

We had our fair share of achievements through a number of held workshops through which we educated over 600 doctors and nurses, together with our partners I mentioned earlier.We are especially proud of the event for the students of medicine and dentistry we held in the cult Cinema Europe in the heart of Zagreb. “How to be the best doctor?” gathered over 300 students with whom we went through the topics of personal leadership and public speaking. Our CEO, Ognjen Bagatin, also shared his path of making the Bagatin Clinic, his attempts and mistakes on his way up. We know the students are our future, the best chance for change and improvement. 

6. How has the Academy been received in the business community here?

At first it was like we are doing something very strange. A lot of people hadn't even heard of  the Croatian expression for soft skills which is “meke vještine”. At one point, an article came out saying Bagatin Academy was doing “neke vještine”, which means “some skills”. They switched the letter “m” with the letter “n” because it had more sense to them. People were confused about what kind of education we are doing; the community always associated us with medicine, so they could not understand and associate us with soft skill training. Over the years it became more clear what we are doing and why are we doing it, so many of our partners and friends but also competitors attended our workshops and some of them also started their own Academies, which makes us proud knowing that we are getting closer to our goal – to educate (directly or indirectly) all medical staff in people skills.

7. Tell us a little about the quality and experience of the mentoring/teaching staff. 

 In the past four years we have been cooperating with over 50 excellent educators and coaches. Their fields of expertise are really different - from psychologists, economists, experienced businessmen and leaders, experts from the field of organizational culture and organizational design who, in addition to their primary knowledge, are certified by various coaching and educational boards in Croatia and/or the world.

8. Who is the Academy aimed at, and what are the main areas you can help Croatian businesses? How receptive have Croatian businesses been to your programs? 

Bagatin Academy is focused on the health sector and on the education of the whole medical staff. It is not easy to change our own habits and our way of work, let alone someone else’s. With time they started to open up to the idea. We are aware that this is an alteration of their mindset. Some think we will never succeed in this idea, while others approach us, with their desire to make an improvement with us. Together we can do a lot and this beautiful country will flourish. We are always open to cooperation and projects that have the potential of making the difference. 

Our goal is to make a Patient Experience conference and bring in the big players to Croatia such as Cleveland Clinic, Disney, Ritz Carlton and other major world brands. For quite some time now we've been in negotiations and agreements with wonderful people from the Cleveland Clinic, and some of them we've already hosted here in Bagatin Clinic in Zagreb, in March 2019. Now we would like to share their incredible knowledge and experience internationally. Hosting this conference would mean that experts in telemedicine, AI and innovation would come to Croatia, and everyone else would follow. We want to place Croatia on the world map as a top medical tourism destination.

9. Where is the Bagatin Academy going to be in 5 years?

What are the goals? Can we meet again in 5 years so I can tell You what happened?  The goals are very clear: 20.000 doctors, 3.500 dentists, 30.000 nurses have heard at least one soft skills lecture from the Bagatin Academy or another provider. Dental Medicine University and Medical University has introduced a course for communicating with patients or something similar from soft skills domain. We would like to have 3 more competitors who would do the same thing as we do, because together we can do much more.

To learn more about the Bagatin Academy, visit the official website.

To learn more about health tourism in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.  

May 6, 2019, Split. It is less than three months since leading Croatian clinic, Bagatin, opened its doors in Split. Already one of the most successful clinics in Croatia with its two locations in Zagreb, and with a host of international awards and recognitions – including the best dermatology clinic in all Europe – the opening of Bagatin Clinic within the luxury Hotel Dioklecijan has not only made its services much more accessible to patients in Dalmatia, but it is also an important step in meeting the health tourism needs of the increasing numbers of tourists coming to and through Split. 

With health care costs in Croatia a fraction of the price in Western Europe, but with clinics such as Bagatin offering world-class care with the very latest equipment, the potential to have a holiday paid for by the savings in medical care is proving increasingly attractive. 

TCN caught up with Katarina Kalebic, who runs Bagatin Clinic in Split, to find out how it was all going. 

1. Bagatin Clinic is one of the leading clinics in Croatia and opened a couple of months ago down in Split. First of all, how is it going?

The citizens of Split and surrounding area couldnʼt wait for the opening of Bagatin Clinic in Split. We have lots of clients from Dalmatia that used to take treatments in our Clinic in Zagreb. We have fulfilled their wishes and opened our Bagatin Clinic in the heart of Dalmatia, in Split. We have only been open for three months but I am proud to say itʼs going very well.  We are looking forward to having many new clients from Dalmatia, the islands and all over the world.

2. Tell us a little about the services you are offering in Split.  

We offer anti-ageing treatments like PRP rejuvenation therapy, dermal fillers, mesotherapy and some surgeries like eyelid and ear correction surgery. Also we offer professional face treatments using Reviderm dermatocosmetis with accomplished technology. Our dental department offers all in one place, from diagnostics like CT scan to implantology, prosthetics and aesthetic dentistry. Our body shaping department is famous for using the latest technology. An individual approach and measurable results are the key to our long business and huge number of happy clients who recommend us to their friends and family.

3. Croatia's medical tourism business is largely centred on Istria, Kvarner and Zagreb at the moment, with Split and Central Dalmatia still relatively unknown. Tell us a little about the market and the potential.

In the last few years, medical tourism has been growing in Dalmatia thanks to good airport connections almost all year. Our location is very interesting for central and northern Italy because of the ferry connection with Ancona.  For now, most medical tourists come for dental work because it is affordable and clinics have invested in the latest technology to deliver the best quality. Everyone speaks English but Italian and German are also very important because many clients come from those two countries. Our market might be new but I believe we will be recognized for quality and that individual approach.

4. Bagatin has a great relationship with Double Tree Hilton in Zagreb, and you are also housed in a rather special place in Split, which makes accommodation a nice extension of your services. Tell us more about the building you are located in?

We are located close to the city centre in 'Splitska kuca zdravlja', which is a complex designed for tourist and healthcare purposes. We have a great relationship with Hotel Dioklecijan and other clinics in it. Patients can find everything they need to combine health services and unforgettable holiday. Can you imagine yourself enjoying in the pool under the open sky with a panoramic view of Split after treatment in our clinic? This is actually possible at our location and makes our patients' experience unique. 

5. Split and the surrounding area is becoming one of the top destinations in Croatia, which more than 3 million passengers expected through the airport alone. Tourists may not immediately think of health tourism when planning their Croatian vacation, but the savings do add up. Can you give us some examples for UK visitors, for example, where some of your services can give them savings which could actually pay their holiday?

If you compare prices for dental implants or crowns in the UK and in our Bagatin clinic you can save lots of money. The price of dental implants can be three times more expensive. For example, one implant with abutment and crown costs £750 while in the UK the cost for is from £2000 to £2500. So you are actually saving money by being on holiday!. You can treat yourself with anti-ageing treatments and relax in a high-quality hotel for the difference in money. I suggest that tourists look over health insurance because some private insurances refund some costs for dental work.

6. How do you see the health tourism industry in Split developing in the next five years?

I believe we will be recognized for quality service and individual approach to every client. Split is already famous for dentistry, medical surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, gynaecology and otorhinolaryngology. Pre and post season are very interesting because our patients can combine their vacation while taking care of their health issues. Split has the capacity to work 365 days a year. We are at the disposal of our clients whenever they need us.

7. You are obviously just starting out, but where would you expect the main foreign markets to come from?  

The main foreign markets for us are Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK. We have very good flight connections with these countries most of the year. In the last few years, Croatia has become very popular for UK citizens and the number of UK tourists is increasing every year.

8. Holiday time is sadly very limited. How does it work in practice if someone is considering having procedures done? I am guessing that just walking in off the street and looking for an immediate appointment is not the best approach.  

It depends on what procedure the client is thinking of. At Bagatin Clinic we take a lot of care about consultation because we want to be sure that our clients' expectations and results will bring happiness to our patients' faces. That is why we use the Vectra to show the patient the almost real result at the end of the procedure. Some procedures can be easily done during a coffee break so I invite all who read this article to find out more about procedures they want to make. We will be happy to answer all your questions and make your wishes come true.

To learn more about Bagatin Clinic in Split, click here.

To follow the latest in the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

March 18, 2019 - More international medical tourism expertise is heading to Zagreb to help grow the Croatian medical tourism story, as Irving Stackpole and Elizabeth Ziemba host a boutique seminar at Bagatin Education Centre in Zagreb next week. 

The number of international medical tourism experts passing through Croatia these days is really quite incredible. 

Although covering the health tourism industry is only a small part of what I do, it seems that every time I look at it, there is another global expert in town. I got to meet and interview Joe Sweet, International Patient Experience Director for the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic last week. Sweet was one of 22 international speakers at the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb, speakers which also included Irving Stackpole and Elizabeth Ziemba. You can read more about the conference here. 

I had already been in touch with Stackpole and Ziemba by means of an email interview ahead of their next visit to Zagreb, on March 26. 

While there are numerous conferences in the field of medical tourism in Croatia, there is even more happening in the background, with the Bagatin Education Centre in Zagreb holding a range of events. This is where I met medical tourism branding guru Ilan Geva at a recent workshop, and where Stackpole and Ziemba will be hosting a workshop on Taking Cluster Development to the Next Level: Changing the Course of Medical Travel.

1. It is great that you are coming to Croatia to share your expertise with local stakeholders. Tell us how the trip came about and anything else you will be doing while here.  

IRVING: While we met Ognjen Bagatin years ago, it was at the World Health Care Congress in Washington DC in 2018 when we had an opportunity to discuss with him in detail the evolution of the health tourism markets in Croatia. Developing a workshop in Croatia came from that conversation.

2. You come at a time when the Croatian medical tourism industry is starting to get organised. The recent Health Spot Croatia conference included all the major stakeholders. How would you assess the current state of the medical tourism industry here, and what is the potential?

IRVING: Only having been to Croatia one time, to Opatia, it would be difficult to draw conclusions from that experience. From what we understand so far, there is ambition and high level of interest; these are always good initial ingredients to success!

ELIZABETH: Having just returned from a two-day conference in Zagreb, we have gained a bit more insight into the status of the health and medical tourism sectors in Croatia. While we have much more to learn and explore, it is clear that many key players are interested, engaged, willing to work hard and learn about the opportunities and obstacles.

3. What do you see are the competitive advantages that Croatia has in the global market?

IRVING: From what we understand, there is a high level of proficiency among the health and medical professionals in the country. And apparently the private healthcare infrastructure is also very advanced although we have not as yet had an opportunity to experience this firsthand. Quality of the healthcare services is of course paramount.

ELIZABETH: The country has a solid base of tourists upon which to build and enhance the overall reputation and brand of the country. It has made some progress in terms of the availability and quality of dental and cosmetic services so that with good leadership and cooperation from the clusters, valuable lessons can be learned from what has been achieved to date as well as guidance for what can be expanded and improved in the future.

4. You have vast international experience in medical travel and have both travelled the world. As Croatia takes its first small steps in the industry, which countries should it be looking to learn from, and why?

IRVING: While there are easy comparisons between countries such as Costa Rica, the hard-learned errors of every country or region can be useful to Croatia. It is essential that Croatia develop its own „unique sales proposition“ based on its assets and differentiators. We will be focusing on this in our workshop.

ELIZABETH: Costa Rica is a good example because it is of similar size in population and geographically as Croatia. Plus both countries have access to close markets in other countries – the US and Canada for Costa Rica and Italy, Slovenia, and other neighboring countries for Croatia. Costa Rica has an interesting leadership model that has good lessons to share with Croatia.

5. Your workshop theme is taking cluster development to the next level. Croatian health tourism has several clusters - Kvarner, Zagreb and Pannonia for example - but it is struggling to develop a national brand, which is surely the priority. How do clusters work together to strengthen the national brand while developing their own?

IRVING: In our workshop, we will focus on what a cluster is and what it is not. All of the organizations calling themselves „clusters“ are probably not clusters but are types of marketing collaborations. The functions of successful clusters, such as competition, monitoring and measurement will be emphasized. And regarding the national brand of Croatia, it is unlikely that medical tourism will define this for the country. Rather, understanding the attraction of Croatia in the travel and tourism markets, the extraordinary loyalty of the diaspora and the underlying assets of the country – these will provide an opportunity to leverage a medical tourism brand for Croatia.

ELIZABETH: This is an excellent question which we will answer during our workshop. The magic formula depends on strong leadership, a clear vision for the country's national brand, the ability to collaborate and compete while maintaining a unique selling proposition. Each of these components requires hard work.

6. Where do you see Croatian health tourism in 10 years, and what needs to happen to get it there?

IRVING: We certainly don't have a crystal ball! There are 1000 small steps that can be taken to improve the markets for health tourism to Croatia. Based on the energy and commitment we have witnessed, it's clear that Croatia will take 1001.

ELIZABETH: We would be happy to be hired to create a health tourism strategic plan for the country. Both Irving and I have experience creating strategic plans, marketing plans, and other road maps for countries, regions, and cities. It is a complex process that requires research and knowledge. 

7. For those thinking of attending the workshop, explain what attendees will take home from a day with you.

IRVING: First and foremost, a clear eye and sober look at the international health tourism markets as they relate to Croatia. Second a structured approach to the evolution of a cluster in Croatia which will further the goal of developing Croatia as a premier health tourism destination. Finally, the skills needed to create a unique sales proposition at the clinic or national level, which will improve your competitive position.

ELIZABETH: Whether members of a cluster, government representative, or healthcare provider, participants will learn more about how clusters do or do not function; how to collaborate and compete within clusters; as well as to have the tools to create a unique selling proposition for the country and their organizations.

For more information about the seminar and to reserve a place, contact Bagatin Clinic. 

To follow the momentum of the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

March 4, 2019 - More international expertise is arriving to help the development of the Croatian medical tourism industry, as Bagatin Education Center announces another niche seminar.

And still they keep on coming... 

It is now about 18 months since I first discovered the huge potential of medical tourism in Croatia, writing my first article on the subject after visits to Bagatin Clinic, Svjetlost Eye Hospital and St Catherine Specialty Hospital. Those visits opened my eyes and culminated in Health Tourism is Coming Home: Why Zagreb is the Next Big Medical Tourism Destination.

Since then, the story - and the potential - has only got more interesting, and after I wrote 25 things to know about health tourism in Croatia, I realised that here was a real treasure that was largely untapped. 

I attended a couple of health tourism conferences last year to broaden my education, and I was amazed at the wealth of international speakers who were coming to Croatia to talk about health tourism. Even better for TCN, they were all very happy to speak to me about the position fo health tourism in Croatia and its potential. Keith Pollard, Editor-in-Chief of the International Medical Travel Journal; Sherene Azli, CEO of the Malasia Healthcare Travel Council; global branding expert Ilan Geva and global speaker Dr Prem Jagyasi. All in Croatia - all highly respected in their particular field.  

The conclusions were the same - Croatia has the potential to be in the world's top ten in the medical tourism industry, if officials can unite and push the industry forward on a united front, a topic we looked at in depth, as well as the fine example of the Malaysian model to follow. 

It was meeting branding guru Ilan Geva that opened my eyes just a little further. For while all the medical tourism conferences are very high profile (and the next one of note is the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb on March 13-14 by Euro Events with another world-class lineup), I met Geva at a very specialised seminar on the branding of Croatia as a medical tourism destination. There were just 15 people there, all key stakeholders in the industry (myself excepted), a very intense and productive session organised by Bagatin Clinic. You can read more about it here. 

So while the increasing number of health tourism conferences are raising the profile of Croatia as a medical destination, there is a second level of education and institution building, which is being conducted largely off the public radar. Much of this is being organised by Bagatin Clinic, which is very aggressively (in the nicest possible sense of the world) pioneering the industry's international profile. By bringing the key local stakeholders together and connecting them with experts such as Geva, the boutique Bagatin seminars are strengthening existing connections and forging new ones. 

And the promotion and education continues... 

Next up at the Bagatin Education Centre are two more international industry heavyweights, who are introduced by Bagatin, above, better than I could do myself - Elizabeth Ziemba, President of Medical Tourism Training, and Irving Stackpole, President of Stackpole & Associates. 

The title of the one-day seminar is Taking Cluster Development to the Next Level: Changing the Course of Medical Travel. It will be one more part of the learning process for me. Tickets are limited and can be reserved through Bagatin Clinic. 

For more on the Croatian health tourism story, follow our dedicated page.