ANAMNEZA Ivan Drinković

Guest Ivan DrinkovićHosted by Zvonko ŠebMay 3, 2026

Ivan Drinković

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

When Ivan Drinković founded Poliklinika Drinković in 1988, private enterprise in Yugoslavia was rare. His motivation wasn't a grand "vision" for healthcare, but a practical need: state hospital salaries were low, and he wanted to earn more to fund his professional development and provide for his family. This pragmatic approach, focused on tangible outcomes rather than abstract ideals, has guided his clinic's growth for over three decades, making it one of Croatia's leading specialized medical institutions. Drinković, a renowned radiologist and professor, shares how a career path forged by practical constraints and an unexpected entry into entrepreneurship laid the foundation for his enduring success. His perspective offers a refreshing counterpoint to conventional business narratives, showing how incremental, needs-driven decisions can build a lasting legacy. Readers will walk away with a clearer understanding of how deep personal investment, strategic staffing, and a focus on continuous learning can sustain a specialized business through decades of change, even when the initial spark was simply a need to make ends meet.

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What to take from this episode

Ivan Drinković started Poliklinika Drinković in 1988 not with a grand "vision," but out of a pragmatic need to supplement his low state hospital salary. The most enduring businesses often begin not from an abstract dream, but from a concrete personal problem that needs solving, like funding professional development or supporting a family.

His choice to study medicine was less about passion and more about elimination — he was "very bad at math" — and growing up in a medical family that made the environment familiar. A successful career path isn't always a direct pursuit of a childhood calling; sometimes it's the result of navigating known territory and ruling out unsuited options.

After 30 years of working from 9 AM to 9 PM, Drinković describes himself as "not a victim" and is financially satisfied, only recently taking his first four-week vacation because the clinic now has five radiologists. Long-term professional satisfaction often stems not from work-life balance in the conventional sense, but from the ability to invest deeply in one's craft and witness the tangible growth of a self-built enterprise.

To counter the doctor shortage, Drinković emphasizes continuous education, sending staff to congresses, enabling their development, and offering financially satisfactory salaries for Croatian standards. In talent-scarce industries, retaining skilled professionals requires a holistic approach that prioritizes ongoing professional growth and development alongside competitive compensation, creating an environment where talent feels valued and invested in.

Poliklinika Drinković, a highly specialized clinic, does not hire junior doctors or recent graduates, preferring to recruit "mature staff" over 40 who are "proven experts," partly due to past experiences with specialists leaving after training. In niche, high-expertise fields, the cost and risk of training new talent can outweigh the benefits, making a strategy of exclusively hiring seasoned professionals a more reliable path to maintaining quality and stability.

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