[The future of Croatian military medicine]

Health care quality in military forces in peacetime is a major national interest. Military health care organization together with civil health care should be the carrier of health protection through the integrated health service system during war and other emergency situations. Answer to the question of the need of military medicine maintaining and further development in Croatia should be searched through a few elements. These are health service experiences from the war in Croatia and their expert scientific evaluation. The development of the Croatian state and Croatian Army as member of international military integrations is an undisputable element which speaks for further development of military medicine. The pending danger from not only natural disasters but terrorism as well calls for an appropriate answer by all countries, including Croatia, considering the position of military medicine. The importance of further military medicine strengthening through an integrated health system, the role of which especially increases in emergency situations, is indicated in all these reasons. The integration is needed to achieve a more economical use of all health service potentials, which means unique planning and coordinated action based on the unique principles. Integrated health care system does not mean organizational joining of civilian and military health care service into one service but each of these has a distinct working area, responsibilities and command.