DEMAND FOR HEALTH AS A FACTOR OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

Introduction. In the current conditions of socio-economic instability and increased security challenges, the importance of the demand for health as a factor in the formation of human capital and ensuring socio-economic sustainability is increasing. Transformational processes in the health care system, limited resource provision and the presence of structural imbalances highlight the need for a comprehensive study of the economic nature of the demand for health and the directions of its strengthening.

The purpose of the article is to theoretically and methodologically substantiate the essence of the demand for health as a tool for ensuring socio-economic sustainability and determine the main directions of its strengthening.

Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the study is general scientific and special methods. In particular, systemic and structural analysis to generalize theoretical approaches to defining the concept of «demand for health». Comparative analysis in terms of comparing global and national trends in health care financing. Statistical method to assess the dynamics and structure of costs. Generalization method for forming conclusions and generalizations regarding the directions of increasing demand for health.

Results. The article substantiates the essence of demand for health as a factor of socio-economic development. The presence of structural inconsistencies between global and national financing models is revealed. Such inconsistency is manifested in the lower level of resource availability and limited alternative sources of financing in Ukraine. The need to increase the effectiveness of state policy in the field of health care is substantiated in order to stimulate demand for health as a tool for ensuring socio-economic resilience.

Prospects. Prospects for further research are the development of economic and mathematical models for assessing demand for health, taking into account uncertainty and risk factors, and deepening the analysis of the impact of military and post-crisis transformations on the structure of health care financing.