Juraj Njavro

{{Short description|Croatian medical doctor and politician}}

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{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Juraj Njavro

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| imagesize =

| office = 1st Minister of Family, Veterans' Affairs and Intergenerational solidarity

| term_start = 19 December 1997

| term_end = 27 January 2000

| primeminister= Zlatko Mateša

| predecessor = Office established

| successor = Ivica Pančić

| office2 = Minister of Health

| term_start2 = 12 August 1992

| term_end2 = 13 October 1993

| primeminister2= Hrvoje Šarinić (1992–1993)
Nikica Valentić (1993)

| predecessor2 = Andrija Hebrang

| successor2 = Andrija Hebrang

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|07|2|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Neum, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|09|15|1938|07|2|df=yes}}

| death_place = Zagreb, Croatia

| party = Croatian Democratic Union

|alma_mater = University of Zagreb
(School of Medicine)

| residence =

| spouse =

| children =

| website =

| footnotes =

| nationality =

| religion =

}}

Juraj Njavro (2 July 1938 – 15 September 2008) was a Croatian medical doctor and politician.

Njavro was born in Cerovica, near Neum in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina). He attended elementary school here and gymnasium in Dubrovnik, Croatia.{{Cite news |last=Mlačak |first=Anamarija |date=9 September 2008 |title=Umro Juraj Njarvro (70), heroj vukovarske bolnice |trans-title=Juraj Njavro (70), hero of Vukovar hospital died |url=https://www.24sata.hr/news/clanak/umro-juraj-njavro-70-heroj-vukovarske-bolnice-/80013/?context=naslovnica&web_page_id=main_page |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917143734/https://www.24sata.hr/news/clanak/umro-juraj-njavro-70-heroj-vukovarske-bolnice-/80013/?context=naslovnica&web_page_id=main_page |archive-date=17 September 2008 |work=24sata |language=Croatian}}

He served as a surgeon Vukovar's hospital during the city's intense siege within the Croatian War of Independence.{{Cite news |last=Despot |first=Zvonimir |date=15 September 2008 |title=Umro dr. Juraj Njavro, bivši ministar hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/3166252/index.do |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919164009/http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/3166252/index.do |archive-date=19 September 2008 |work=Večernji list |language=Croatian}} He continued to work in the hospital right up until the fall of the city to Serb forces.[http://daily.tportal.hr/article.aspx?aID=3809&kID=1 Former minister, MP Juraj Njavro dies] Njavro was subsequently imprisoned and taken to the Sremska Mitrovica camp in Serbia. In late 1991 Njavro was released as part of a prisoner exchange.

He took part in Croatia's first post-independence parliamentary elections in 1992 and was elected as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union. From 12 August 1992, to 12 October 1993, he served as Croatia's Minister of Health.[http://www.hidra.hr/rh/rh64.htm Fourth Government of Croatia] He served as a minister without portfolio from 12 October 1993, to 7 November 1995, won reelection in 1995, and served again without portfolio from 13 November 1996, to 19 December 1997.[http://www.hidra.hr/rh/rh65.htm Fifth Government of Croatia][http://www.hidra.hr/rh/rh66.htm Sixth Government of Croatia] From 19 December 1997, to 27 January 2000, he served as Minister of Defenders from the Homeland War. He was reelected again in 2000 and retired in 2003.{{Cite news |date=15 September 2008 |title=Dr. Vesna Bosanac: dr. Njavro izvanredan liječnik, čovjek i humanist |trans-title=Dr. Vesna Bosanac: Dr. Njavro an outstanding doctor, man and humanist |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/3167023/index.do |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005080446/https://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/3167023/index.do |archive-date=5 October 2008 |work=Večernji list |language=Croatian}}

Njavro wrote a book about his internment during the war entitled Glava dolje, ruke na leđa. After his retirement he served as the president of the Association of Croatian volunteer doctors 1990–1991.

He died on 15 September 2008, in Zagreb and was buried in the city's Mirogoj Cemetery.{{Cite news |date=18 September 2008 |title=Pokopan legendarni vukovarski doktor Juraj Njavro |trans-title=The legendary Vukovar doctor Juraj Njavro was buried |url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Novosti/Hrvatska/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22839/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522020722/http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Novosti/Hrvatska/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22839/Default.aspx |archive-date=22 May 2011 |work=Slobodna Dalmacija |language=Croatian}}