An AI-powered public health assistant developed by the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) and WoomAI, with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Health and powered by Infobip’s AI and communication technology, has been recognized as Croatia’s MedTech Project of the Year 2026.
ZdrAVKO, an innovative AI-powered public health assistant available through WhatsApp, has received the prestigious MedTech Project of the Year 2026 award at the Game Changer Awards in Croatia.
The award recognizes ZdrAVKO’s contribution to making trusted health information more accessible, improving public health literacy and introducing a new model of communication between public health institutions and citizens.
For WoomAI, the recognition represents an important milestone and demonstrates how conversational AI can deliver measurable value in healthcare and public health communication.
Making trusted health information accessible to everyone
ZdrAVKO was developed through a collaboration between the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) and WoomAI, with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Health and using Infobip’s AI and communication technology.
The project addresses a fundamental challenge in public health: how to provide citizens with timely, reliable and understandable health information through communication channels they already use.
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via WhatsApp, ZdrAVKO enables citizens to ask questions and receive expert-verified information about disease prevention, preventive health screenings, healthy lifestyle choices and other important public health topics.
Instead of requiring citizens to search multiple websites or navigate complex institutional information, ZdrAVKO brings trusted public health knowledge directly into everyday conversations.
More than 12,000 users and 200,000 messages
The results achieved during the first few months demonstrate the potential of conversational AI in public health.
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12,000+ users engaged with ZdrAVKO
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200,000+ messages exchanged
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24/7 availability through WhatsApp
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Expert-verified information developed in collaboration with public health professionals
These figures demonstrate not only the reach of the service but also citizens’ willingness to engage in conversational communication about their health.
With an average of approximately 17 messages per user, ZdrAVKO goes beyond traditional one-way public health communication, enabling interactive exchanges driven by citizens’ questions and information needs.
From traditional communication to meaningful engagement
For years, public health communication has largely relied on websites, campaigns, printed materials and traditional media channels.
Although these channels continue to play an important role, conversational AI introduces an additional dimension: the ability to provide personalized, interactive access to verified information at the moment citizens need it.
This shift is particularly relevant in healthcare, where access to understandable and trustworthy information can contribute to prevention, earlier engagement with healthcare services and better-informed health decisions.
For marketing and communications professionals, ZdrAVKO also demonstrates how AI can help organizations move beyond broadcasting information toward building continuous, meaningful relationships with their audiences.
The goal is not to replace healthcare professionals or medical consultations but to make reliable public health information easier to access and understand.
Technology enables innovation. People create impact.
While AI technology forms the foundation of ZdrAVKO, the project’s success is the result of close collaboration between technology specialists, healthcare professionals and public institutions.
The expertise of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, the contribution of other healthcare professionals, the support of the Croatian Ministry of Health, WoomAI’s conversational AI expertise and Infobip’s technology infrastructure have been essential to developing the service.
Equally important are the thousands of citizens who use ZdrAVKO.
Their questions, engagement and trust continuously provide valuable insights that help the project team improve the service, identify relevant public health information needs and make health communication more effective.
The real value of ZdrAVKO lies not simply in the technology but in its ability to help people take better care of their health.
Recognition for a new approach to public health communication
The Game Changer Award recognizes not only a successful AI implementation but also the broader potential of conversational technology to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of public health communication.
For WoomAI, this award reinforces the company’s commitment to developing AI assistants and agents that create tangible benefits for organizations and the people they serve.
ZdrAVKO demonstrates what becomes possible when verified expert knowledge, accessible communication channels and advanced AI technology are combined with a clear public purpose.
As healthcare organizations increasingly explore digital transformation and AI adoption, projects such as ZdrAVKO offer a practical example of how innovation can move from technological potential to real-world application.
Looking ahead: The future of AI in healthcare communication
The recognition of ZdrAVKO as Croatia’s MedTech Project of the Year 2026 marks an important achievement, but it also points toward broader opportunities.
Conversational AI can help healthcare organizations and public institutions improve access to information, support preventive healthcare initiatives, increase engagement and communicate more effectively with diverse populations.
At WoomAI, we believe the future of AI in healthcare will be defined not only by technological sophistication but by trust, accessibility, expert knowledge and measurable benefits for people.
ZdrAVKO is one example of how this vision can become reality.
We sincerely thank the Croatian Institute of Public Health, the Croatian Ministry of Health, Infobip, all participating healthcare professionals and everyone who contributed to the development of ZdrAVKO.
Special thanks go to all ZdrAVKO users whose engagement and trust continue to shape the service.
We also thank the Game Changer team for recognizing ZdrAVKO as Croatia’s MedTech Project of the Year 2026.
This is just the beginning of what AI-powered conversational communication can achieve for healthcare and public health literacy.
Learn more about ZdrAVKO
Discover how WoomAI, HZJZ and Infobip are using conversational AI to make trusted public health information more accessible.