ANAMNEZA - Ratko Matijevic

Before a year ago, Dr. Ratko Matijević never saw himself as a private practitioner. "If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever be a private entrepreneur, my answer would have been no," he says. A distinguished gynecologist and obstetrician, a university professor, and a departmental head at a major public hospital, his career was deeply rooted in Croatia's institutional healthcare system. Yet, he recently launched Ginema Ordinacija, his own private practice. This conversation explores what compels a seasoned professional to step into entrepreneurship late in their career, and how he defines value in a system where high-quality public care is already the standard. Dr. Matijević details the journey from a dual enrollment in medicine and electrical engineering to specializing in obstetrics—a field he chose to work with "healthy people." He describes the challenges of building a practice from a bare shell and the deliberate choices he made to differentiate his service. You will walk away considering how personal vision can reshape a professional path, and the often-unseen drivers behind new ventures in established fields.