Strategic management of healthcare institutions in Ukraine: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The article examines the characteristics of strategic management in healthcare institutions in Ukraine amid systemic transformations in the medical sector driven by financing reforms, digitalization of medical processes, demographic shifts, and wartime challenges. It aims to analyze the challenges of strategic management across different types of healthcare institutions in Ukraine and to justify promising directions for improving management mechanisms in the healthcare sector. To achieve this aim, the study applies time series analysis to assess demographic changes based on World Health Organization reports, employs a structural-comparative method to determine the distribution of various healthcare institutions at the regional level, and conducts a SWOT analysis to synthesize the challenges and prospects of strategic management in Ukrainian healthcare institutions.

The article explores the role of regional, regional pediatric, and city hospitals as key components of the regional healthcare system and as the institutional foundation for strategic management of medical infrastructure. Analysis of the regional distribution of healthcare facilities reveals territorial disparities in the provision of specialized medical care, particularly in pediatric services, which affects both accessibility and the efficiency of patient routing. It has been determined that, at the regional level, one regional hospital operates in each oblast, except for Rivne Oblast, where two institutions are in operation. Similarly, one regional children’s hospital operates in each oblast, except for Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where two such institutions function. In contrast, regional children’s hospitals are absent in Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, and Poltava oblasts. The highest number of municipal hospitals operates in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, and Kharkiv oblasts, whereas the lowest number is observed in Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

The SWOT analysis identifies the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the strategic development of Ukraine’s healthcare institutions. The system’s strengths include a well-established multi-tier network of medical facilities, the professional capacity of personnel, and the development of digital management tools. The main limitations include staff shortages, uneven resource allocation, and infrastructural disparities across regions. The article outlines promising directions for enhancing strategic management, including the development of hospital districts, implementation of innovative management practices, digitalization of medical processes, and strengthening interregional cooperation.