The Influence of the Covid-19 Pandemic on General Trends in the Functioning and Competitiveness of Private Clinics

Abstract

This article aims to examine the impact of the pandemic on competition in the medical services market of the Sumy region, which is ranked among the Ukrainian regions with small medical personnel and low socio-economic development. This study involved marketing research methods (surveys and content analysis), statistical methods for information processing, factor analysis, and alternatives analysis. The results unveiled the intense competition for patients and medical staff in the healthcare market of the Sumy region. The organization’s competitiveness before the pandemic was assessed by factors such as «the doctors’ treatment of patients and their qualifications» and «the availability of necessary medical services». During the pandemic, the essential factor in choosing a medical institution was «patient safety, reducing the risk of coronavirus». Before the pandemic, the competition between medical organizations was most influenced by the population paying capacity and the shortage of qualified medical personnel. Private clinics ranked below public clinics in delivering a wide range of medical services because of the lack of medical specialists. However, the pandemic has strengthened the position of private clinics through two factors. First, private clinics have expanded their range of services through narrow specialists who have moved from public institutions to private clinics. Second, private clinics have provided a higher level of client safety through a tight filter for patients with symptoms of coronavirus infection. Besides, using remote technologies by medical organizations has become a competitive advantage. The authors noted that remote technologies in healthcare are not common in the Sumy region and Ukraine in general, as patients distrust this service. This study is of practical value because it allows assessing the impact of global challenges on healthcare development in the regions to assess private medicine competitiveness changes. In addition to its practical value, private market research, especially in times of pandemic threat, confirms or rejects some theoretical hypotheses aimed at analyzing the performance of the private sector in health care facilities. This work opens new avenues for a deeper study of the similarities between private and public health facilities, especially in the face of legal and pandemic constraints.