Economic aspects of public health: costs and benefits of the enterprise

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the socio-economic aspects of public health in the context of the costs and benefits of modern enterprise. As a key characteristic of labor resources, public health significantly affects the pace and quality of socio-economic development. In the modern economy, public health is on a par with such system-forming characteristics of the labor force as education, qualifications, creativity, and is increasingly trying on the role of the leading factor in economic growth. The article provides evidence that concern for the health of personnel should act as a burden on owners and managers, relying on formal (by the state) and informal (by public opinion) norms that oblige entrepreneurs to take on a certain amount of responsibility in relation to its personnel in terms of employee insurance; ensuring proper working conditions, labor protection, etc.; formation of a health fund; creation of medical structures. Along with this, we record a number of benefits arising from this, including retention of personnel, the formation of a stable and interested core of the labor collective, stability, loyalty of the labor collective, a reduction in the number of absences due to illness, increased efficiency, an increase in the number of so-called innovative “smuggling” projects, the demonstration effect of moral standards.