Economic and legal status of medical tourism entities in Ukraine

Abstract

The article explores the economic and legal status of medical tourism entities in Ukraine. The author examines the development prospects of the medical tourism industry. The essence of economic and legal status is revealed as a complex legal category that involves the legitimation of a business entity, the definiteness of organizational and legal form, the presence of economic competence and property under a certain legal regime. The research systematizes the main subjects of medical tourism: tour operators, travel agents, provider companies, outbound medical tourism operators, healthcare institutions, health resort establishments, and insurance companies. Legal gaps in the legislation regulating medical tourism are identified, particularly the absence of requirements for involving medical specialists when forming a tourism product and the insufficiency of financial security for tour operators’ liability considering the increased risks of this type of activity. Special attention is paid to health resort establishments, their various organizational and legal forms, and the absence of a unified nomenclature, which complicates industry regulation. The article analyzes the impact of the Law of Ukraine "On Peculiarities of Regulating the Activities of Legal Entities of Certain Organizational and Legal Forms in the Transition Period and Associations of Legal Entities" on medical tourism entities. Ways to improve the economic and legal status of medical tourism entities are proposed, including legislative establishment of requirements for mandatory involvement of medical specialists when forming a tourism product and creating concerns and other associations of enterprises in the health resort sphere to increase the efficiency of their activities.