Shaping the sustainable development of medical tourism in Ukraine

Abstract

Due to the growing impact of tourism on the economy and the fact that tourism and medicine have become the leading industries in the world, there is a need to study and justify the prospects for development, areas of state support, and solutions to various problems in this industry. This article considers the relevance of medical tourism in Ukraine, reveals the very concept of medical tourism, its potential, popularity, and realities of implementation. The ideas of improving medical tourism and overcoming problems in their implementation are highlighted, as well as compared to the experience of foreign medical institutions. Based on the analysis of international experience, the most popular types of treatment and rehabilitation among medical tourists, as well as the main reasons for the huge gap in the cost of medical services in leading countries and countries with emerging markets are identified. The prospects of medical tourism development on the basis of state support are outlined and the solutions to various problems of this industry in the perspective for the future in Ukraine are suggested. It should be noted that the relatively low price compared to European countries is the biggest advantage of medical tourism in Ukraine. The cost of medical services in Ukraine in most cases is much lower than the cost of similar treatment in other countries. The ways to develop the medical tourism market to address economic, political, and social issues, reorganize all systems of rendering medical care, change the structure of medical education in Ukraine are offered. The following main tasks are defined: to improve the quality of domestic medical care and treatment efficiency; to improve the work of staff in providing quality services; to revise the legislative base of Ukraine, to develop the law "On Medical Tourism"; to develop the departmental regulatory framework for cooperation with foreign clients in medical institutions, primarily in the state and municipal domains; to promote Ukrainian medical tourism in the world.