The Croatian private healthcare market is witnessing one of the most significant strategic alliances to date. The Podobnik Special Hospital, the first and to this day the only private hospital in the country specializing in gynecology and obstetrics, is becoming a key part of Futura Medical Group (FMG), one of the fastest-growing healthcare groups in the region. This acquisition does not only represent a change in ownership structure, but marks the beginning of a new era in which an integrated ecosystem of comprehensive healthcare focused on the woman, child, and family is being created, setting new standards in the private medical sector.

The Podobnik Special Hospital, founded with a vision by the Podobnik family seventeen years ago, has etched itself into the history of Croatian healthcare as a pioneer of private obstetrics. Since its establishment in 2008, the hospital located at Sveti Duh in Zagreb has been the place where more than 6,500 newborns have come into the world. In the same period, the hospital's expert team, which today numbers over 50 top specialists, nurses, and other staff, has performed more than seven thousand complex gynecological surgeries and procedures, providing care for more than 50,000 patients from Croatia and around the world. Thus, SB Podobnik has become synonymous with excellence, trust, and the highest standards in the field of perinatal care, ranking among the few, only twelve, private hospitals in the country.

Creating a unique healthcare ecosystem

By joining Futura Medical Group, SB Podobnik joins the already established members of the group – the Sabol Polyclinic, Croatia's first private polyclinic for children's diseases, and the Sinteza Polyclinic, which offers a wide range of specialist services. It is this synergy that forms the foundation of the vision FMG wants to achieve. According to Ognjen Bagatin, an experienced entrepreneur and co-owner and director of Futura Partners, within which FMG operates, this strategic merger aims to raise the quality of healthcare to the highest possible level.

"By connecting with the Sabol Polyclinic, a pioneer in private pediatrics, and our Sinteza Polyclinic, we are creating a unique platform that ensures the continuity and comprehensiveness of healthcare," explains Bagatin. "This is not just a business acquisition, but a strategic investment through which we strengthen competitiveness and encourage innovation. Our goal is to provide a complete service – from prenatal care and childbirth at Podobnik Hospital, through pediatric monitoring at the Sabol Polyclinic, to caring for the health of the woman and the entire family through the services of the Sinteza Polyclinic."

Bojan Pintarić, director and co-owner of Futura Medical Group, builds on this vision, emphasizing the deeper meaning of this merger. "This step confirms our strategic direction – the integration of top, highly specialized institutions into a coherent healthcare system. As someone who has been actively involved in the development of private healthcare in Croatia for more than a decade, I am convinced that it is precisely such projects that elevate the entire sector. The synergy of these three institutions creates a platform of care for the mother, child, and family that has not existed before, and our task is to ensure that this excellence is sustainable in the long term and recognized not only in Croatia but also at an international level," Pintarić points out.

The legacy of the Podobnik family and a new era of leadership

At the heart of the success of the Podobnik Special Hospital lies the expertise and dedication of its founders. Retired Prof. Mario Podobnik, PhD, one of the first Croatian subspecialists in fetal medicine and human reproduction, is recognized as a leading expert in the field of ultrasound and prenatal diagnostics. His wife, Prof. Slava Podobnik Šarkanji, PhD, has been at the head of the hospital as its director from the very beginning, successfully guiding the institution through all the challenges of growth and development. Their mission is continued by their daughter, Dr. Petra Podobnik, a top expert in fetal medicine and advanced ultrasound diagnostics.

With the new phase of development come changes in leadership. Prof. Slava Podobnik Šarkanji, PhD, is taking on an important advisory role, ensuring the transfer of knowledge and continuity of the vision. "I am sincerely grateful to all our patients for the trust they have placed in us all these years. Their loyalty has been our greatest incentive to strive for excellence every day. I am confident that the hospital, now with new strength, will successfully continue on its path of growth and progress," said Prof. Podobnik Šarkanji, PhD.

Taking over as the new director of the hospital is Slaven Janečić, a manager with more than ten years of experience in leading private healthcare institutions. "To take over the leadership of an institution that laid the foundations of private obstetrics in Croatia is an exceptional honor and responsibility. My goal, together with the existing expert team, is to continue building the tradition of excellence and to ensure that every patient receives the best possible experience and care. Joining Futura Medical Group gives us additional strength, knowledge, and support for writing new success stories," stated Janečić.

Medical continuity and high professional standards will be guaranteed by Dr. Petra Podobnik, who is taking on the role of medical director. "I am proud to continue the work we have been building for years. Our dedication to maintaining the highest standards remains unchanged. The main goal is still the same – to provide every patient with a sense of security, support, and complete trust," emphasized Dr. Podobnik.

Expanding accessibility and plans for the future

Although the ownership and management structure is changing, the Podobnik Special Hospital remains at its well-known location at Sveti Duh 112 in Zagreb. At the same time, Futura Medical Group has ambitious plans to expand its network and the availability of top-quality healthcare services. The opening of a new Sinteza Polyclinic in Split is already planned for the beginning of 2026. This new location will also have a specialized gynecology department, which will offer services such as first examinations and pregnancy monitoring, thereby significantly increasing the availability of quality healthcare outside the capital. This move confirms FMG's strategic determination to provide patients throughout Croatia and the region with access to the world's best medical practices.

The power of "smart money" behind Futura Medical Group

Futura Medical Group, founded in 2022, has in a short time become one of the leading medical groups in the region with more than 300 employees and a network that cares for over half a million patients at twelve locations in Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka. The group emerged from the development project of the Sinteza Polyclinic, and its growth was accelerated by key acquisitions, including the aforementioned Sabol Polyclinic, the leading chain of aesthetic centers Manuela Picard (which were rebranded as Reneskins by Bagatin), and, at the beginning of 2025, the takeover of the Bagatin Polyclinic, a leader in aesthetic medicine in the region.

The owner of FMG is the company Futura Partners, which is backed by an impressive group of successful Croatian entrepreneurs. They invest so-called "smart money" – a unique combination of financial capital, extensive experience, and strategic support. Alongside Ognjen Bagatin and Bojan Pintarić, this collective consists of experts from various sectors: Filip Jelić, Luka Abrus Fijačko, and Alan Sumina from the ICT world, Berislav Horvat and Krešimir Šikić from banking and finance, lawyers Josip Konjevod and Zlatko Knezović, and serial entrepreneur Saša Cvetojević. It is this synergy of different knowledge and skills that gives FMG additional strength for innovation and the realization of its vision for the future of private healthcare.