About Thalassotherapia Opatija

Thanks to its geographical position on the Mediterranean Sea, climatic characteristics (plenty of sunny hours and favourable air currents), beautiful architecture, parks and promenades, this is a city for relaxation, rejuvenation and pleasure throughout the year.

Thalassotherapia Opatija uses sustainable and efficient natural resources. The guiding premise is: Opatija is a city where emperors and kings used to come to restore health. Today we offer a full service that meets all the needs of modern people all in one place.

History of work – the pioneers of excellence

Thalassotherapia Opatija is a special hospital for medical rehabilitation of heart, lung and rheumatism. Two reference centres of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia operate here: the Reference Centre for Health Tourism and Medically Programmed Vacations and the Reference Centre for Cardiac Rehabilitation. Thalassotherapia Opatija is also the seat of the Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, the seat of the Department of Physical Medicine, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, and the teaching base of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek.

Thanks to its rich and long past and the vision of its founders, Thalassotherapia Opatija is one of the most progressive medical institutions in the country and region.

Our institution was founded in 1957 on the initiative of professor Čedomil Plavšić, PhD, as well as on the basis of Liburnian spa tourism.

Thalassotherapia Opatija is the first health institution in Croatia and the region that introduced professional and modern heart patient rehabilitation. It was one of the first European hospitals to abandon a passive approach in the rehabilitation of heart patients in favour of active rehabilitation controlled by experts. For example, patients with heart failure were on bed rest and practised slow movements for three months. But not in Thalassotherapia Opatija, where they started active recovery with control and supervision. The fact that doctors were still unsure until the end of the 1980s whether exercise helps a patient after a heart attack shows how much it was out of the box. So, today we can objectively say that Thalassotherapia was 30 years ahead of its time in its beginnings!

During six decades of its work, Thalassotherapia Opatija has constantly been investing in the progress and improvement of the medical services offered to patients, responding to the needs of modern man.

In 1998, Thalassotherapia became the Reference Centre for health tourism and medically programmed vacations of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia and acquired the status of teaching base of the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka and the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek. By decision of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (in 2009), it became the base of the Clinic for Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention of Heart and Blood Vessels Diseases of the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka. It obtained the Permission of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia for scientific research. Two years later, the Reference Centre for Cardiac Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia was established. The aesthetic surgery centre was opened in 2016, and Thalassotherapia became a perfect destination for health, beauty and medical wellness. The institution celebrated its 60th anniversary by opening the Heart Catheterization Laboratory. The Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Cardiometabolism and the Centre for Sports Medicine are also opened, becoming unique preventive centres in Croatia and the region. Considerable funds were also invested in the interior design and equipment of the dermatology department, which now enables diagnostics, classical treatment and aesthetic procedures in one place.

Thalassotherapia Opatija offers its patients a complete and rounded product - everything a modern man needs, from diagnostics and rehabilitation to aesthetics, along with a unique experience of staying and recovering in a Mediterranean environment.

Capacities

Our institution is located in an area of 14,000 m2. It includes a complex of six buildings equipped with technologically modern medical equipment and accommodation that provides our patients with the necessary peace and relaxation.

We have more than 270 employees; 36 are specialized doctors from various fields; we systematically invest in their education and professional competencies to ensure the excellence of our services.

Mission and vision

Our mission is health care, research and education of those who serve health!

Thalassotherapia Opatija aims to become a health and scientific brand and a centre of excellence in cardiology, rheumatology and physical medicine, rehabilitation, sports medicine and medical wellness. We have a moral obligation towards our founders and health tourism to accept the inherited dynamics and further growth. It is necessary to lead such an intention by developing top medical personnel, encouraging the cooperation of complementary and diverse medical professions, systematic investment in scientific activities, and monitoring and applying modern tourism doctrines.