Methodological approaches to studying the organization of medical and health tourism in Ukraine

Abstract

The article reveals methodological approaches to the study of the problem of the organization of medical tourism in Ukraine. It was found that in the modern scientific literature among researchers there is no unified view on the definition of the concept of "medical and health tourism". The author defines that medical and health tourism is a trip to resort areas for the purpose of health and treatment. The goal of health tourism is the comprehensive use of natural healing factors and physical activity for therapeutic and preventive purposes. It was established that the sanatorium-resort base of Ukraine is widely represented by sanatoriums of various forms of ownership and departmental subordination, which are located in different regions of Ukraine. Various natural healing resources are widely used for treatment and recovery: mineral waters for both internal and external use, healing mud, ozokerite, clay and salt solutions. Ukraine has a rich recreational and tourist potential and has significant prerequisites for the formation of a highly developed health and tourism economy. But today, the recreational and touristic possibilities of Ukraine are significantly limited. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, medical and health facilities in Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions have been repeatedly bombed and destroyed. Therefore, in the conditions of martial law, the development of health tourism in the Black Sea region is problematic and temporarily impractical. The most promising and necessary is the development of health tourism in the Carpathian region and the regions close to it. Among all regions of Ukraine, almost a third of the recreational potential is concentrated in the Carpathian region.