Darko Milinović
Darko Milinović was born on 25 April 1963 in Gospić. He is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ; Croatian: Hrvatska demokratska zajednica) and is a member of the Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski sabor). He has served as a Croatian Minister of Health and Social Welfare in the Croatian Government second cabinet of Ivo Sanader and the cabinet of Jadranka Kosor.
Political Career
After joining the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in the 1990s he obtained his first political post when he was appointed as a member of the Gospić City Council in 1998. In 2000 he was made a member of the HDZ central committee and from 2000 to 2002 was head of HDZ in the city of Gospić. From 2002 to 2003 he held the office of deputy head of the Lika-Senj County. Following HDZ's victory in the 2003 parliamentary elections, Milinović was elected to the Croatian Parliament. From 2003 to 2008 he held the post of Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and was a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Family Affairs, Youth and Sports.
After HDZ won the 2007 elections Milinović was appointed Minister of Health and Social Welfare in the new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on 12 January 2008, replacing Neven Ljubičić who had held the post from 2005 to 2008. Following Sanader's abrupt resignation on 1 July 2009, the cabinet was reconstructed and Milinovć retained his post in the new cabinet headed by Sanader's successor, Jadranka Kosor, which was officially announced on 6 July 2009. Since the 22nd of December 2011 he has been a member of the Croatian Parliament. He is the chairperson of the Committee on the Family, Youth and Sports, and a member of the Health and Social Policy Committee
Education
After graduating from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in 1987, Milinović went on to specialise in gynaecology, passing his specialty exam in 1996. He spent most of his professional career practicing in is home town of Gospić, and from 1998 to 2002 he held the post of the Gospić General Hospital director.
Notable Work
He received the Medal Oluja for participation in military action Oluja, Patriotic war testimorial, Croatian Olympic Committee – Lika-Senj County Sport Union – an award for the encouragement of sport development.
