Residents of the island of Prvić in the Šibenik archipelago, which administratively belongs to the city of Vodice, have requested that competent authorities ensure the permanent presence of a nurse or medical technician on the island on a full-time basis. As reported by Slobodna Dalmacija, the islanders approached decision-makers with a sense of deep concern and anger on behalf of the inhabitants of both island settlements, Šepurina and Luka.
Gordan Gradiška, who is from Prvić Luka, emphasises that for years the island had a functional and safe system that guaranteed everyone a peaceful sleep. A permanent resident of the island, a medical technician by profession, lived in Prvić Šepurina and was employed full-time, and was available to the residents of both settlements at all hours of the day and night. According to Gradiška, around 400 permanent residents of Šepurina and Luka are currently in a situation that causes fear and a sense of complete abandonment by the system among islanders, and the current state is considered unsustainable and dangerous to life.
The nurse is, according to the islanders, available to residents for only about one hour, twice a week, which Gradiška considers humiliating and completely insufficient for the needs of the locals. The situation becomes alarming and chaotic during the tourist season when a multiple times larger number of people stay on the island. The lack of permanent medical staff leads to absurd and extremely expensive situations, as well as endangering human lives. Recently, a bee stung a man on the lip, and due to the danger of suffocation and the lack of a qualified person on the island who could immediately provide first aid, the emergency air service had to intervene. A helicopter taking off from Split landed on the island, and according to publicly available information, just one hour of such an intervention costs between €4,000 and €6,000.
Elderly and helpless residents who depend on constant therapies cannot renew their prescriptions in a timely manner, and people are, it is stated, left to their own devices, condemned to waiting, uncertainty and dependence on weather conditions and irregular lines. Due to the reconstruction of the quay, the boat no longer docks in Prvić Luka, and at the time of the conversation with Slobodna Dalmacija, on Wednesday morning, a strong south wind was blowing and the boat that was supposed to transport medical staff to Prvić could not dock at the quay.
The islanders demand from the competent authorities the urgent employment of a qualified nurse on a full-time basis, so that she can daily and permanently cover the needs of the clinics in Prvić Šepurina and Prvić Luka, and to stop the practice of "one hour twice a week". According to Gradiška, there is a person who is a qualified nurse, lives on the island and has a great desire to work on the island and help their fellow residents.
The islanders received a rejection from the city of Vodice, and the response is signed by Vodice mayor Ante Cukrov. The city of Vodice finances the work of the nurse and medical technician on the island of Prvić from its own funds. For 2026, the city of Vodice and the Šibensko-kninska County Health Centre (Dom zdravlja Šibensko-kninske županije) signed a Contract on Financing Primary Healthcare regulating the provision of the aforementioned service in Prvić Luka and Prvić Šepurina. In accordance with the agreed model, the working hours of the nurse and technician are adapted to the ferry schedule. After receiving the request from the islanders, the city of Vodice additionally contacted the Šibensko-kninska County Health Centre and requested a statement on the organisation of healthcare on the island.
