The perception of competition in the hospital healthcare market of the Republic of Moldova

PurposeIdentifying the perception of competition between public and private providers in the national hospital market can help authorities to develop appropriate management strategies applicable to the hospital sector and increase the efficiency of public hospital institutions.Design/methodology/approachA mixed selective descriptive study including quantitative and qualitative components was carried out on in the Republic of Moldova between 12/2021 and 03/2022. The study included all hospitals in the country. The study revealed the hospital manager's perception of the hospital's competition as respondents to the questionnaire were only the directors and managers of hospital institutions. The concept of evaluation of the perception of competition was carried out through the lens of “Porter's 5 forces” from “Competitive strategies” by Michael E. Porter. The authors used a questionnaire as an instrument for studying the perception of competition. All study participants responded to both the quantitative and qualitative questionnaire.FindingsInterhospital competition perceived by managers using model framework of “Porter's 5 forces” reveals high danger from service providers and high perception of rivalry; hospital directors perceived as low: the patient's bargaining power; the danger of new competitors entering the market; the danger of substitution, which constitutes competitive advantages; the lack of autonomy in the selection of services and patients and legislative barriers are the main perceived dissensions. The perception of competition between public and private hospitals is one with high rivalry, especially in the country's municipalities.Originality/valueThe national public hospital system takes up to 65% of the health budget being extremely expensive, a fact that indicates a rather low competitiveness of them. The European average indicates figures of 30–40%. The private hospital sector is less developed compared to most European countries, being represented by 17 institutions, in comparison Romania has 104 private hospitals representing about 25% of the market share. Private hospitals also occupy a considerable part of the European hospital healthcare market, continuing to increase, reaching over 30% in Germany.