Andrija Hebrang | |
|---|---|
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| Minister of Health and Social Welfare | |
| In office 23 December 2003 – 25 February 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader |
| Preceded by | Andro Vlahušić |
| Succeeded by | Neven Ljubičić |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 14 May 1998 – 12 October 1998 | |
| Prime Minister | Zlatko Mateša |
| Preceded by | Gojko Šušak |
| Succeeded by | Pavao Miljavac |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office 12 October 1993 – 14 May 1998 | |
| Prime Minister | Nikica Valentić Zlatko Mateša |
| Preceded by | Juraj Njavro |
| Succeeded by | Željko Reiner |
| In office 30 May 1990 – 12 August 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Stjepan Mesić Josip Manolić Franjo Gregurić |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Juraj Njavro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-01-27)27 January 1946 (age 79) |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Political party |
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| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[1] |
| Spouse | Danijela Vrhovski |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Residence | Zagreb |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb (School of Medicine) |
| Occupation | Physician |
Andrija Hebrang (Croatian pronunciation:[ˈandrijaˈxebraŋg]; born 27 January 1946) is a Croatian physician and politician. He is a former member of theParliament of Croatia.[2] A physician by vocation, Hebrang had served three terms as Croatia'sMinister of Health (1990–1992, 1993–1998, and 2003–2005) and spent three months asMinister of Defence (May–October 1998) under six different Prime Ministers. In addition, he was his party's candidate in the2009–10 Croatian presidential election, eventually finishing third behindIvo Josipović, andMilan Bandić, winning 12 percent of the vote in the first round.
Andrija Hebrang was born inBelgrade,Yugoslavia (nowSerbia), toAndrija Hebrang, a prominent Croatian-Yugoslav politician and OlgaStrauss, who came from a well-to-doPakracJewish family. Her parents saw to her education, and she learned to play the piano and to speakFrench andGerman.[3] Hebrang's father joined theCommunist Party and fought for thePartisans inWorld War II, becoming a close friend and adviser to MarshalJosip Broz Tito, and eventually rose to become a high-ranking government member. However, in the late 1940s, he fell out of favor with senior Party members, was arrested by the Yugoslav government for treason, and subsequently disappeared. The date of his death and the circumstances are unknown, though it is presumed he died ca. 1949 in a Belgrade prison; the circumstances remain unclear, and his body was never recovered.Ustashas killed 16 members of the Hebrang family during theHolocaust, and another ten members of his family were killed by the communist regime of the newly founded FPR Yugoslavia.[4]
Young Andrija, along with his mother and siblings, were put under house arrest in 1948. His mother, Olga, was imprisoned for twelve years, and the children were sent to live with their aunt Ilona inZagreb. They lived very poorly, as Ilona's husband was sent to the prison camp atGoli Otok for several years, and she was made to raise the three young children alone. Andrija saw his mother again when he was eleven and she was released from prison in 1960. The family was forced to change their surname to "Markovac" so that Olga could find employment.[3]
After completing his gymnasium education, Hebrang enrolled at theSchool of Medicine, University of Zagreb, where he received his doctorate specializing in radiology and oncology, and began teaching at the university as a professor in 1985. He is married to Danijela Vrhovski-Hebrang, a doctor of medical biochemistry at theUniversity of Zagreb, and they have three children.
In 1990, he became a member of the newly formed Croatian Democratic Union. He became the Minister of Health from 1990 to 1992 and again from 1993 to 1998. During theCroatian War of Independence, he served as a coordinator of thearmed forces from 1993 to 1994. He was first elected to theCroatian parliament in 1993 and again in 1995.
After the death of the Minister of Defense,Gojko Šušak, in 1998, he temporarily took over the position for four months. Afterwards, he withdrew from political life. He returned in 2001 as a member of theCroatian True Revival party, led byMiroslav Tuđman. However, after talks with the new head of the HDZ,Ivo Sanader, he returned to the Croatian Democratic Union. After the HDZ's victory in theCroatian parliamentary elections of 2003, he joined Sanader's government as one of the two vice-presidents and Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 2003 to 2005. For health reasons, he relinquished his position in government and resumed his role as a member of parliament.
In July 2009, he was chosen by the HDZ to be their candidate for the2009–2010 presidential election. He competed in the first round with eleven other candidates and won third place with 12.04% of the vote.[5]
Hebrang isJewish.[6] He is married to Danijela Vrhovski, and they have three children together.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Office created | Minister of Health 1990–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Health 1993–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Health and Social Welfare 2003–2005 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
