Introduction

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to introduce the newly established Croatian Society for Hand Surgery of the Croatian Medical Association (HDKŠ HLZ). After many years of operation as the Section for Hand Surgery within the Croatian Society for Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery of the Croatian Medical Association (HDPREK HLZ), where only plastic surgeons were members, we now have a society within the CMA that brings together all surgeons specializing in hand surgery—orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, pediatric surgeons, and plastic surgeons alike. This also meets the criteria for membership in FESSH (Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand), and the application process is currently underway.

The Society aims to provide ongoing education for its members through the FESSH Academy in hand surgery and actively participate in all FESSH activities. The board members of HDKŠ HLZ are the most prominent hand surgeons in Croatia, ensuring the society’s activities meet FESSH standards. A rotating presidency among board members is planned every two years.

We aim to hold an annual symposium on hand surgery with international participation. The first took place on October 5, 2024, at the Children’s Hospital in Zagreb (“Pediatric Hand Surgery from A to Z”). For the coming year, we plan to commemorate 10 years of collaboration and exchange of residents with the Danish Society for Hand Surgery by organizing a symposium of the Croatian Society for Hand Surgery on April 26, 2025, on the beautiful Brijuni Islands, at the Neptun Hotel. We intend this to be a “FESSH appointed” event, inviting all residents from Denmark and Croatia who have participated in this exchange over the past 10 years, as well as distinguished hand surgeons from Denmark and Croatia.

The society also plans to publish a university textbook on hand surgery in the near future.

I hope this information encourages you to become a member.

Until the next gathering of hand surgeons,

Doc.prim.dr.sc. Zlatko Vlajčić, MD

President of HDKŠ