PUBLIC HEALTH AS AN INDICATOR OF THE SOCIAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Formulation of the problem. The urgency of the scientific problem is that the world is undergoing rapid changes in both public relations and in the field of health care, therefore there is a need to rethink them, evaluate and make appropriate management decisions. The author believes that the time to engage in theorizing around social capital has passed; need to study it now in an applied aspect, through the prism of the problems that exist in social life.
The purpose of the article is to show that the state of health of the Ukrainian population is one of the most important indicators of social capital.
Results. The dialectic connection between the scientific concepts of “public health” and “social capital” is shown, which is that social capital is not something ephemeral, but modified in the form of human relationships, social values, trust, an effective legal system, and so on. One of these social values is the health of the population. A critical analysis of the current state of health care in Ukraine was carried out taking into account the experience of other countries and the dynamics of some medical industry indicators. Some health status assessments and ratings of recognized international organizations are present also. The reasons for the unsatisfactory financial support of the medical sphere include insufficient funding, delay in the introduction of compulsory social health insurance and inheritance from the old totalitarian system, portray the problems of medicine as secondary. It should be noted that the aim of the reform is the formation a new model of medical care for the Ukrainian population.
Conclusion. The transition to compulsory health insurance, which will become an additional source of financing for the industry, plays a crucial role in reforming the health care system of Ukraine. Now the only effective model of the health care system in Ukraine is a model of public-private partnership with the mandatory participation of private insurance companies.