Programming Regulation and Strategic Planning in the Health Care Sector

Abstract

The article deals with the legal characteristics of forecasting and strategic planning in the health care sector through program regulatory acts, their rationality and effectiveness of application, revealing the main characteristics and regularities of such regulation and the place in the system of national legislation, as well as identifying problems and shortcomings of program regulation of the health care sector in Ukraine, the formulation of propositions to eliminate the relevant complications in domestic practice.

The objective of the article is to analyze the problems of program regulation of legal relations in the health care management system in Ukraine and its legal provision.

The methodological basis of the article is a set of generally scientific and special research methods. In particular, through the dialectical method, the set tasks are considered in the unity of their social content and legal form.

The author of the article discusses the development and implementation of regulatory programs in the health care sector in Ukraine. It has been found out that the draft target-oriented program should be developed on the basis of forecasts of economic and social development of Ukraine, forecasts of the development of the health care sector for the medium-term period of the approved concept by the state customer or its designated developer. Accordingly, health regulatory programs are used at the interstate, nationwide, governmental, departmental and regional levels.

The authorities of state agencies in this field have been revealed; the system, content and orientation of the main legal programs in the health care sector have been analyzed. In particular, the Program of Medical Guarantees and State Health Strategies, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in November 2019, becomes particularly important in the context of the health care sector reform. The content of existing programs in the health care management system has been studied and the need for their widespread use has been proved.

The main problems of program regulation in the health care sector have been distinguished. These are disadvantages of both the general system of organization and effectiveness of the programs, as well as of certain mechanisms of the implementation, in particular financing of programs on a residual principle (underfunding, and sometimes even its absence); unclear formulation of the purpose and objectives of the programs, which indicate the process rather than the final result; the absence of clearly identified performers and obligated entities; insufficient analytical activity; lack of responsibility for non-compliance with mandatory measures and action plan; insufficient control over funds spending; declarative nature, etc.