USING OF SWOT-ANALYSIS METHOD AS A PRECONDITION FOR INTRODUCTION OF STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISE «RIVNE REGIONAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL»

Abstract

The Ukrainian healthcare system has been in the reform phase for several years in a row: on April 1, 2020, Phase 2 began, according to which national medical institutions receive funding from the National Healthcare Service. In the new conditions, health care institutions face new challenges: 1) to learn to look for sources of funding on their own; 2) analyze and select effective medical technologies; 3) monitor and analyze medical services markets; 4) to establish effective communications with patients, etc. The solution of new tasks for each medical institution is significantly facilitated by the introduction of strategic processes: clarification of its role in the external environment – the mission; concretization of the seeing of one’s future state – the vision; awareness of benefits for their own employees – the goals; preparation of the main document – a strategy that should be legitimized at the general meeting of employees and familiarize key stakeholders with it. However, a significant number of medical institutions have not yet been able to effectively adapt to the new socio-economic conditions of their operation due to lack of knowledge and experience in applying modernmethods and tools of strategic and operational management. Among such methods, the most popular is the method of SWOT-analysis, which is used primarily in the strategic diagnosis of the environment in which the  сompany operates, and is a precondition for further development of strategicdocuments. The need for SWOT-analysis as a stage in the process of developing the Development Strategy of the municipal enterprise «Rivne Regional Children’s Hospital» (hereinafter - KP "RODL") was caused by the following phenomena and processes: a) lack of approved development strategy of the enterprise; b) global challenges that have arisen for Ukrainian medical institutions; c) risks facing the economy of Ukraine in recent years; d) trends in the development of medicine in the EU; e) signing the Association Agreement with the EU; f) requests of the company’s management for the implementation of strategic and operational management. SWOT-analysis of the utility company «Rivne Regional Children’s Hospital» was carried out by a working group of the company with the consent of employees of the Department of Management of the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, representatives of the NGO «Regional Center for European Integration Projects». It was based on indicators of socio-economic status and prospects of enterprise development, the results of its positioning on various scales, the results of research of global challenges and forecasting of national risks in the medical area, trends in medicine in the reform, as well as identifying problems and growth points, its employees and members of the working group. As a result of work on the draft development strategy of KP «RODL», one of the  important processes of which was SWOT-analysis, we can identify six main stages of strategy, which can be used as recommendations for similar development strategy of other medical institutions: Stage 1 – project preparation on the formation of a working group, which is approved by the chief physician; Stage 2 – holding thematic «round tables», «master classes» to discuss the problems of enterprise development and the formation of focus groups; Stage 3 – conducting sociological surveys of staff, members of the working group; Stage 4 – formation of a draft strategy by the working group with the involvement of scientists; Stage 5 – discussion of the draft Strategy at a joint round table with the participation of heads of structural units; Stage 6 – approval of the strategy for the general meeting of employees of the medical institution with the involvement of key stakeholders. Achieving strategic goals will serve as a guide for approaching the vision and mission of the hospital, as well as a basis for formulating operational goals and further implementation of operational management in KP «RODL».