HEALTH MANAGEMENT AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Abstract

Socio-economic, demographic, and political changes in Europe create new challenges facing the organization and management of public health. These issues were interpreted during the conference of the European Health Management Association held in June, 1998, in Dublin (Ireland). Over 250 participants from 30 countries discussed the problems of health care reforms, health policy and management, new information technologies and their application in public health and quality management. A special attention was paid to the reforms in Central and Eastern Europe as well as to the university education in health management. Through a specially performed questionnaire-based investigation, the participants outlined the profile of health care systems in the beginning of the new millenium. It was expected that the relative share of the taxes provided for public health financing would be of approximately 29 per cent, that one of the insurance money - of about 33 per cent, but of co-payment financing - of about 38 per cent. Experts' opinion was united around the statement that on the background of the tendency towards continuous increasing of public health expenditures one should look for the way out in resource redistribution (according to 84 per cent of the interviewed experts). An enhancement of the state financing was not expected as the future role of the state would mainly consist in the regulation (according to 69 per cent of the experts). More than 80 per cent of them considered the competition capable to find the proper way for co-work and collaboration facing both professional and institutional borderlines