Juraj Njavro (2 July 1938 – 15 September 2008) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n medical doctor and politician. Njavro was born in Cerovica, near

Neum Neum ( cyrl, Неум, ) is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the only town to be situated along the Bosnia and Herzegovina's coastline, m ...

in the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

(today part of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

). He attended elementary school here and gymnasium in

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

, Croatia.Juraj Njavro (70) has died, hero of the Vukovar hospital
/ref> He served as a surgeon

Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...

's hospital during the city's intense siege within the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

.Juraj Njavro has died
/ref> He continued to work in the hospital right up until the fall of the city to Serb forces. Njavro was subsequently imprisoned and taken to the

Sremska Mitrovica camp Sremska Mitrovica Prison (Serbian: Казнено-поправни завод у Сремској Митровици / ''Kazneno-popravni zavod u Sremskoj Mitrovici'') is the biggest prison in Serbia, consisting of two facilities. It is situated in ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. In late 1991 Njavro was released as part of a prisoner exchange. He took part in Croatia's first post-independence

parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

in 1992 and was elected as a member of the

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Croa ...

. From August 12, 1992 to October 12, 1993 he served as Croatia's Minister of Health. He served as a minister without portfolio from October 12, 1993 to November 7, 1995, won reelection in 1995, and served again without portfolio from November 13, 1996 to December 19, 1997.Sixth Government of Croatia
/ref> From December 19, 1997 to January 27, 2000 he served as Minister of Defenders from the Homeland War. He was reelected again in 2000 and retired in 2003.Dr. Vesna Bosanac: dr. Njavro was a special doctor, man and humanist
/ref> Njavro wrote a book about his internment during the war entitled ''Glava dolje, ruke na leđa''. After his retirement he served as the president of the Association of Croatian volunteer doctors 1990–1991. He died on September 15, 2008 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

and was buried in the city's

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

.The legendary doctor of Vukovar Juraj Njavro was buried in Mirogoj
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Njavro, Juraj 1938 births 2008 deaths People from Neum Croatian Democratic Union politicians Croatian surgeons Politicians of the Croatian War of Independence Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Veterans' affairs ministers of Croatia School of Medicine, University of Zagreb alumni Health ministers of Croatia 20th-century surgeons