COMMERCIAL MEDICINE IN RUSSIA: DEVELOPMENT TRENDS AND DEMAND FACTORS
Relevance. Commercial medicine is a rather young branch of Russian national economy. In our days its development forms a wide interdisciplinary discussion space for scientists and practitioners. The basic areas for such researches are commercial medicine development dynamics under Russian economic and social conditions, factors and type of demand for payable medical services, correlation between budgetary and commercial medicine, as well as a social aspect of healthcare commercialization, manifested through the life quality aspect, access to medical care, etc. A comprehensive and objective analysis of development trends and demand formation for commercial medicine services is especially relevant under solving national strategic tasks for the healthcare development and ensuring social well-being. Purpose of the research is to identify development trends and substantiate the main demand factors for commercial medicine services in Russia for the period 2005-2021. Materials and methods: data from the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia, data from some medical institutions, materials from specialized media publications. Methods of logical and statistical analysis were used in the research. Results. Authors have studied dynamics and structure of medical organizations by ownership; analyzed social statistics related to payable medical services, demographic statistics for commercial enterprises in the healthcare; examined basic aspects of the largest private medical institutions’ activities in Russia; identified and investigated the most important demand factors for commercial medicine. Conclusions. Russia has commercial medicine as an active developing independent sphere of economic activity, which is characterized by stable positive dynamics of its indicators, by significant structural changes, capital accumulation, strengthening of market positions, and increased influence on the social sphere. It’s all reflects a big growth in demand for payable medical services. As a main factor of the demand growth, authors consider increased legal and institutional opportunities for payable services cultivation by both private and public medical institutions, their active profit orientation in making medical care. Scope of the results: economics and management of the healthcare, management of the social sphere.