President Milanović Meets with Representatives of “Red Dress Day” Public Health Campaign, which Aims to Prevent Stroke among Women

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received today a delegation of the Croatian Neurological Society, the Croatian Medical Association and the “Red Dress Day” public health campaign. As in previous years, the campaign, which aims to prevent and raise awareness of the specific risk factors of stroke among women, is held under the auspices of the President of the Republic.

In 2019, the Croatian Medical Association and the Croatian Neurological Society launched the major public health and education campaign entitled “Red Dress Day,” which has for years been supported by the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, the City of Zagreb, and held under the auspices of the President of the Republic and the Ministry of Health.

At the meeting, members of the delegation informed President Milanović about the progress of the campaign, explaining that great success was achieved in raising public awareness of risk factors for stroke among women, the consequences of neglecting stroke symptoms, and the need to make lifestyle changes. They also pointed out during the meeting that stroke is an emergency that can be prevented and treated by a timely response, but it is still the leading cause of disability and the second cause of death in Croatia – more often among women. The delegation said that in 2022, 4,289 people died of a stroke, 60 percent of whom were women.

The following individuals attended the meeting in the Office of the President: President of the Croatian Neurological Society Prof. Zdravka Poljaković-Skurić, Vice President Marina Roje Bedeković, President of the Croatian Society for Gender Differences in Neurology Prof. Arijana Lovrenčić-Huzjan, Vesna Matijević, Svjetlana Šupe, and Dinah Vodanović, who are also members of the “Red Dress Day” Organizing Committee, Expert Adviser of the Croatian Psychological Chamber Andreja Pasarić, and producer and organizer of the “Red Dress Day” public health campaign Nataša Mesarić.

President Milanović was accompanied at the meeting by Jadranka Žarković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek