On the occasion of World Mental Health Day and World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, an international symposium titled “Man is Man’s Medicine” was held at St Nicholas Church in Zadar. The event was organised by the European Institute of Person-Centred Medicine (EIMO), the Department of Health Studies at the University of Zadar, and the Croatian League for Hypertension.
As part of the symposium, the European Education Centre for Person-Centred Medicine was established, named “Man is Man’s Medicine”, which will operate within the Department of Health Studies at the University of Zadar.
Welcome speeches were delivered by several distinguished guests, including Prof. Marijana Braš, PhD, President of the European Institute for Person-Centred Medicine; Prof. Veljko Đorđević, PhD, Director of the Educational Centre; Asst. Prof. Klaudia Duka Glavor, PhD, Deputy Director; Zlatkica Marinković Danilović, representative of the Ministry of Croatian Veterans; and Don Valter Kotlar from the Commission for Hospital Pastoral Care and the Elderly of the Archdiocese of Zadar, among others.
“Climate change, wars, people are dying, and our children are witnessing all this, yet we still fail to turn towards one another—to recognise our shared humanity and to rise above all else in this civilisation that only we ourselves can destroy. It is up to all of us to turn toward the future, and that means adopting a completely different attitude toward the person,” emphasised Đorđević, who, based on his experience in psychiatry and palliative medicine, initiated the founding of this centre.
Prof. Josip Faričić, PhD, Rector of the University of Zadar, recalled that the oldest school of medicine in present-day Croatia was founded in Zadar. Although it was short-lived, it formally educated the first physicians in the region. In 2007, Zadar once again re-entered the field of academic medicine, currently with the Nursing Studies Programme, since Croatia already has a well-established network of medical faculties that achieve world-class results in both teaching and research.
“It is very important that every academic centre maintains some connection with medicine, as it allows for a holistic understanding of reality. We live in a world where the material dimension of life is overemphasised. We must learn to live together, regardless of our differences, not merely through superficial words and cheap slogans about unity, but through concrete actions. Only then will we become the most effective bearers of goodness in our environment. Perhaps we have slipped too far into a realm of arrogance where we believe we can do everything, that everything is accessible, and that we must have everything the moment we desire it. We should make room for another role—to be companions, and when necessary, co-sufferers—so that we may share the burden carried by individuals around us, even those we do not directly encounter. We must not forget fundamental values such as generosity, idealised in antiquity, and compassion, emphasised in Christianity,” said Rector Faričić.
The opening of the centre was also welcomed by Marija Pletikosa, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy:
“The phrase ‘Man is man’s medicine’ encapsulates what we often forget in times of haste, stress, and uncertainty—that we are each other’s greatest source of support and strength, and that at the core of every system, every policy, and every therapy stands a person who sees, hears, and understands another person. At the Ministry, we are striving to make community support services more accessible, evenly distributed, and better connected. Through joint efforts, we aim to ensure that every person, no matter where they live, can receive timely help in an environment that understands and supports them. Yet institutional measures are not enough if, in our daily lives, we forget what makes us human—warmth, understanding, and solidarity. Each of us can be someone’s medicine through care, support, and compassion,” said Pletikosa.
During the symposium, experts from Croatia and abroad discussed what the concept of person-centred medicine entails. Alongside lectures by distinguished experts from the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the symposium featured three panel discussions: Mental Health, Cardio-Reno-Metabolic Health, and Palliative Medicine.
For this occasion, Dr Đorđević also presented an exhibition of his paintings and his book “Flight over the Psychiatric Nest”, alongside Paul Tournier’s book “The Healing of Persons” (Medicina osobe).